Interruptions
by gabrielsgirl
Summary: Renee and Gabriel are making plans for their wedding. Stuff happens along the way. I started a UC:Undercover crossover in chapter 9. FINISHED!
1. Plans

Baby, with the sweetest kiss   
You came along and stole my breath.   
Tore down my defenses with a whisper.   
Oh you showed me how love can be.   
You broke through to my heart   
Softly, baby, softly.   
  


Renee sang along to the song as she hung some clothes in the closet. She turned around and Gabriel was standing there. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lips. When she pulled away, there was a smile on her face. "Is that your way of shutting me up?" She asked, laughing.   
"No, not at all," he replied, kissing her again.   
"We're gonna be late if you don't let me finish."   
"That's okay," he said with a grin.   
She twisted out of his arms and picked up the last shirt off of her bed. Taking an empty hanger out of the closet, she hung it up. Renee turned around and walked over to the radio to turn it off. Then, she slipped her shoes and jacket on. "Let's get going. We're supposed to be there in five minutes."   
"Yes, ma'am," he said with a grin. Opening the door, he followed her out. 

They drove down the street, then got caught behind several cars stopped at a red light. Renee let out a sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl. "Doesn't look like we'll make it on time," she muttered.   
"I'm sure he'll wait."   
"Yeah, but I still hate being late."   
The traffic in front of them began to move forward slowly. Ten minutes later they pulled into a graveled parking lot in front of a large, brick church. They walked inside and looked around for the pastor.   
Renee spotted him sitting in one of the front pews. He saw them standing there and stood up. "Hello, Renee."   
"Sorry we're late. We got stuck in traffic."   
"Not a problem. You must be Gabriel," he said, turning to him.   
"Yes, sir."   
They sat down beside him and Renee said, "It's going to be small. Probably no more than fifty guests."   
"What about your vows? Are you saying your own? I remember you had mentioned you might."   
She shook her head. "No, we decided to go with the traditional ones."   
"Have you set a date yet?"   
She nodded. "We're planning for August twenty-fourth."   
"That's about seven months away. Gives you a lot of time to plan."   
"Yes, it does." She glanced at her watch, then back up. "Which reminds me, we still need to get the invitations."   
They said good-bye and Renee and Gabriel left. Fifteen minutes later she pulled into a driveway in front of a large, white house. A young woman stepped outside and smiled at them. "It's nice to see you again, Miss Mackenzie. I take it you're here for the invitations."   
"Yeah, we are. Are they ready?"   
"Yeah. Hold on a sec. I'll be right back with them."   
She returned a moment later with a medium-sized white box. It was kept closed with packaging tape. Renee took it from her and said, "We'll send you the check soon."   
She nodded and turned back to the house. They got back into the car and returned to Renee's apartment.   
"Is there anything else we have to do today?" He asked.   
"No, nothing we have to do," she replied with a grin.   
His lips parted in a smile and he said, "So I guess you haven't gotten tired of me yet."   
"No, not yet," she replied, then kissed him. 

He wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss. Gabriel pulled her closer to him. Just as she was about to kiss him again, the phone rang. Renee rolled her eyes and pulled herself away from him. He pulled her back and asked, "Can't you just let it ring?"   
She smiled at him, but said, "No. I have to answer it."   
He sighed and let her go. She picked the phone up from the receiver and said, "Hello."   
"Are you two coming?" Sara's voice asked from the other end of the line.   
Renee thought for a moment, trying to remember where they were supposed to be. Then it hit her. "I'm sorry. We forgot. We'll be right there."   
She hung up the phone and turned to Gabriel. "What did we forget?" He asked.   
"Our appointment with Sara and Ian."   
"Oh yeah. We did forget about that."   
They put their coats back on and walked outside. Sara had offered, and pretty much forced them to accept, to give them some lessons in self defense. Thinking back over the past year, Renee concluded that it might be a good idea. 

She drove to Sara's apartment and saw her standing outside waiting for them. She walked over to the car and Gabriel rolled down the window. "Let me get my bike, then you can follow me."   
He nodded his head, then rolled the window back up. Sara pulled up in front of a large building. They climbed out of the car, and Ian stepped out of the door of the building. Renee thought she saw a brief smile flash across his face, but it was quickly gone so she couldn't be sure. They followed Sara inside and saw a small gym set up there. There was a punching bag, a boxing ring, and some mats were on the floor.   
"Gabe, you go with Ian. I will work with you, Renee." Ian and Gabriel walked over to the mats while Sara and Renee went to the punching bag. Renee looked at her, waiting for Sara to tell her what to do. "Renee, I want you to hit this bag as hard as you can." 

She looked at Sara, then turned to the punching bag. Renee pulled her arm back and threw it forward, but the bag hardly moved. She shook her hand and sucked on her knuckles.   
Sara smiles encouragingly. "Try it again. This time don't bring your arm back so far. Throw the punch right from your shoulder."   
Renee hit it again, this time making it swing a little. "That's good. Just keep hitting it."   
*******   
"Hit me."   
"What?" Gabriel asked, not sure if Ian was serious.   
"Hit me," Ian repeated.   
Gabriel was still looking at him like he was crazy.   
"Just do it."   
He shrugged and swung his fist at him. Ian grabbed his arm and pushed it away.   
"You're too reckless," he told Gabriel. "Don't just swing. Now, try it again."   
Gabriel threw his fist again, and Ian caught it in his hand. "You're still not thinking. Let me show you."   
He stepped in front of Gabriel and threw a punch at him but stopped before it reached him. "Don't throw a wild punch or you might miss your target and he'll get you. Now, try to hit me again." 

Gabriel threw another punch at him, and Ian blocked it with his arm. "Better. But don't swing so wide. It takes too much time and by the time you hit him, he could have hit you several times. Throw it straight from your shoulder."   
He tried again and Ian smiled. "That's much better."   
*******   
Renee and Sara were sitting against the wall when the two men walked over. The younger girl had a small bag of ice on the knuckles of her right hand. She smiles at Gabriel as he sat down beside her. "That thing is tough."   
She took the ice away from her hand. Her knuckles were bright red. Partly from hitting the punching bag and partly from the ice. "How'd you do?" She asked him.   
"I'm reckless," he told her with a wide grin.   
She laughed. "Yeah. Well, we already knew that."   
Sara looked at Ian and he nodded. Then, she looked at them and said, "That's good for today. You're not gonna forget again next week, are you?"   
"We'll try not to," they both said with a laugh. 

Sara just shook her head at them as they walked out to the car arm in arm. When they got home, the light on her answering machine was blinking. Renee pressed the button and heard her father's voice coming from the machine. "Renee, I need to know when the wedding is, so I can see if I can get it off from work. Please call me back as soon as you can."   
She heard the click of his phone hanging up and turned to Gabriel with a look of sadness in her eyes. "I'd better call him," she said softly.   
Renee turned back to the phone and picked it up from the receiver. Gabriel could hear the tension in her voice when she greeted her father. By the time she said good-bye, he could tell that she was extremely upset.   
"What did he say?" He asked her.   
She turned to him, and he saw tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. "He's not sure if he'll be able to make it. He said the end of August is a busy time for him at work." 

He wasn't sure of what to say to comfort her. Instead he stepped forward and started to wrap his arms around her, but she pulled away from him. He was shocked. She had never acted this way before.   
"What's wrong?" He asked her, concerned.   
She shook her head, then walked over to the bed and sank down on it. He walked over to her and sat down beside her. "Will you please tell me what's wrong?" he asked, taking one of her hands in his.   
She tried to pull it away, but he just tightened his grip. Finally she let out a sigh and looked at him. "My dad's always been too busy, so I should have known nothing would've changed. But I was hoping this time it would be different. I should know by now not to get my hopes up when it comes to him." She closed her eyes, then opened them and looked at him again before continuing. "I don't want to be disappointed again. I'm afraid you'll get tired of me and let me down like everyone else has. I've never been important enough to others. Why should I believe that anything has changed?" She lowered her eyes as the tears began to fall. 

It broke his heart to see the sadness in her eyes. He took her face in his hands and looked directly in her eyes. "Renee, I love you. I promise you that I will never get tired of you or be too busy to love you. No one has ever made me feel the way you do." He used his sleeve to dry her face, his hand lingering on her cheek.   
She forced herself to smile, then broke down into tears again. Gabriel put his hands behind her head and pulled her closer to him, stroking her hair. When she had stopped crying, she lifted her head and looked at him. He smiled at her, then leaned toward her and they kissed. They pulled apart and there was a smile on her face. She leaned toward him again and they fell across the bed.   
******* 

"Ian, why do you work for him?"   
"Where else would I work, lady Sara?'   
She thought about this for a moment, then realized that he had a point. "But the way he treats you."   
"It is nothing, Lady Sara. The pain doesn't last for long and the bruises fade. It is all I have ever known. I am used to it."   
When they reached her apartment, Ian nodded farewell, then went on down the street. Sara watched him for a second, then walked inside. 


	2. Valentines

Chapter 2

  
  
  
  


He ran his finger along her cheek and down to her chin. Renee opened her eyes and smiled at him. She raised herself up on her elbow. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down on top of him. Her arms moved around his back and she pulled him to her. She bent her head down to his, and they kissed. "I love you," he said when their lips parted.   
She kissed him again, then started to get up. "Where are you going?"   
She just smiled at him and slipped back into her shirt and pants. Then, she walked into the kitchen. Gabriel sighed, then sat up and pulled his jeans on before following her out of the room.   
*******   
A month went by and Renee and Gabriel continued their training with Sara and Ian. They were getting better, but Ian still thought Gabriel was too reckless. "All you're going to accomplish is getting yourself hurt," he told him one day. "You can't just jump in and start throwing punches. There has to be some thought behind your actions." 

Gabriel tried to do it the way Ian told him to, but he couldn't do it with a clear head.   
It was the middle of February and Gabriel was walking to Renee's apartment from his shop. He saw a stand where a man was selling roses. Picking out a red one, he paid for it and started to walk away. Gabriel could feel someone following close behind him.   
He quickened his pace, but still had the feeling that he was being followed. He started to run and almost dropped the rose. When he realized he wasn't going to out run his pursuer, he stopped and turned to meet him.   
Gabriel sighed in relief when he saw that it was only Ian. "Do you have to do that?' He asked a little sharper than he had meant to.   
"I am sorry. I did not mean to frighten you."   
"Is there a reason you were following me?"  
"I was just trying to catch up to you. Sara wants to speak with you."   
"Well, I'm going to Renee's right now. After I see her, I will talk to Pez."   
Ian nodded, then turned away. Gabriel watched him walk away, then continued on to Renee's. 

He had just raised his hand to knock when the door swung open. Renee was standing there in jeans and a sweatshirt. She was smiling at him. "I was looking out the window and saw you walk up."   
She realized that he was still standing in the hallway. "Come in," she said, embarrassed. They walked inside and Gabriel started to remove his coat, almost forgetting about the rose in his hand. He set it on the table and threw his coat over the back of a chair. He picked the rose up and turned around. "Happy Valentine's day," he said as he handed it to her.   
She smiled at him, then turned away and walked into the kitchen. Taking a glass out of the cupboard, she filled it with water and put the rose in. Then, she turned back around. Gabriel was standing right in front of her. "Thank you," she whispered as her arms slid around him.   
He pulled her right up against him and kissed the top of her head.   
"I thought we were going out tonight," he said. "But you're not changed."   
"I changed my mind."   
He shrugged and said with a grin, "Staying home might prove to be more fun."   
******* 

Renee rolled over, swung her feet to the floor, and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the water, waited for it to heat up, then stepped into the shower. Once she was clean, she turned off the water and stepped out. Grabbing a towel, she dried off and walked back into the bedroom.   
She was nearly dressed when Gabriel opened his eyes. He propped himself up on one elbow and watched her. "Where are you going?" He finally asked.   
She turned around and smiled at him. "The same place I go every Friday morning," she replied.   
"You mean the same place I forget about every Friday morning?"   
"Yeah, that one," she answered with a grin.   
He sat up and watched her finish getting ready. She grabbed her coat and walked over to the bed. She kissed him, then said, "I shouldn't be gone for long. They don't care to hold long conversations with me."   
He watched her leave, then swung his feet to the floor and pulled his jeans on. Walking into the kitchen, he saw the rose sitting on the counter and remembered that he was supposed to call Sara. 

He picked up the phone and dialed her number.   
"Pezzeni. Go."   
"Hi, Pez. It's Gabe. Saw Ian yesterday and he told me you wanted to talk. Sorry I forgot. Looks like I missed you though, so I'll talk to you sometime."   
He hung up the phone and walked back into the bedroom. After pulling on his shirt, he ran a comb through his hair and walked back into the kitchen. He scribbled a quick note for Renee and left.   
*******   
Renee unzipped her coat as she walked into the office. Everyone looked up from their desks and computers and watched her walk toward the main office. She could feel the heat from their hateful looks boring into her back. There was only one friendly face in the room.   
Janice Kelly was an older woman. She had taken Renee under her wing when she had first arrived. She had also been the one to encourage her to work at home when she realized Renee was uncomfortable being around so many people. Janice had been like a second mom to her. 

Renee knocked on the door and opened it when someone told her to come in. A young man was sitting behind a desk. He looked like he was only a few years older than her. "That your next one?" He asked, nodding at the long envelope in her hand.   
"Yes, it is," she replied, handing it to him.   
He stood up and took it from her. "Thanks. I'll look over it tonight and make sure there aren't any problems. Of course, I'm sure there won't be."   
She smiled at him. He was the only other friendly one at the office.   
"How are the plans coming for your wedding?" He asked.   
She shrugged. "All right. Still trying to find a deejay."   
"You have picked out a groom, right?"   
Renee laughed. "Yeah. I thought that might be kind of important." She looked at her watch. "Nick, I need to get going."   
He nodded. "See you in a week."   
She smiled at him, turned around, and walked out of the office. Janice stood up when she saw her coming out. Renee walked over to her and asked, "How are things here?" 

"Not bad. They're trying to make things difficult for me, but won't push too far."   
"I don't understand it. Why do they care that I write at home? It's not like I talked to them when I was here anyway."   
"You're different than them. You don't depend on people's opinion of you and they don't understand that. Try not to pay any attention to them."   
"You're right, of course."   
"Your fiancé is a lucky man, Renee."   
They said good-bye and Renee started to walk away. She heard two people whispering as she walked past. "Wonder what she's gonna do now," one said.   
"Probably gonna sit around while we work," the other one replied.   
Renee just squared her shoulders and held her head higher as she walked out of the doors.   
*******   
Gabriel knocked on the door and Sara looked up from her desk. "Hello, Gabe. What are you doing here?"   
"I called your apartment and when you weren't there, I figured you were here."   
"Is there something I can help you with?" 

"Ian told me you wanted to talk to me. Forgot to call you after I got to Renee's yesterday."   
"It wasn't important. Just wanted to know how the wedding plans are coming."   
"Need to find a deejay and a caterer. We found a photographer. The mother of a friend of Renee's agreed to do it."   
"How are things with her dad? Is he coming?"   
Gabriel shook his head. "He still doesn't think he'll be able to make it. Renee refuses to talk about it." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "She should be getting back soon, so I should get going."   
Sara smiled and shook her head. "I'll see the two of you tomorrow then."   
He nodded and left. She watched him leave, then shook her head again. She really has him whipped, she thought.   
*******   
Renee walked into her apartment and saw a piece of paper sitting on the counter. She walked over and picked it up.   


Renee,   
Went to see Pez. Be back soon.   
Love,   
Gabriel   
She smiled at it. It was a good thing she wasn't insecure about her relationship with him, or she might be jealous.   
Just as she was about to throw it away, the door opened. She spun around, and a smile made its way across her face. "Wasn't sure if you'd make it home before me," Gabriel said. 

"I just got here a minute ago. What did you see Sara about?"   
"I was supposed to call her last night, but forgot."   
"What did she want?"   
"Just to know how our plans are coming."   
"Okay." She walked into the kitchen and opened the dishwasher. She had started to unload it when Gabriel walked up and put his hands on her shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"   
"What?" She asked, not meeting his eyes.   
"Your dad."   
"No." She continued putting the dishes away without looking at him.   
He sighed, then turned away. He wanted her to talk to him about what was bothering her, but didn't know how to get her to. He walked into the living room and sat on the couch.   
A few minutes later, he heard her walk across the room and stop behind the couch. Standing up, he turned around and was surprised to see a smile on her face. "What are you doing?" He asked as she took his hands and pulled him to his feet.   
She didn't say anything. Her right hand moved up to his shoulder and they started to dance around the room. 

"You do realize there's no music?" He asked.   
"I'm not deaf," she replied with a grin.   
She took his hands in hers again and backed toward the bedroom with a mischievous glint in her eyes.   
*******   
A young woman was walking down the street. She kept looking at a small piece of paper in her hand, then up at the apartments. Finally, she stopped in front of one. She hesitated a moment, looking around nervously, then walked up to the door and knocked.   
*******   
Renee heard someone knocking on the door and rolled over. She pulled her clothes on and walked into the living room. Opening the door, she exclaimed in surprise, "Cara, what are you doing here?"   
"Just wanted to see my friend."   
"It's an awfully long drive just to visit me."   
Cara saw Gabriel standing in the doorway and a blush started to rise in her cheeks. "Maybe I came at the wrong time."   
Renee looked at him, then back at her. "No, it's fine. Do you want something to eat?"   
"Sure."   
They walked into the kitchen and she sat down while Renee made some sandwiches and Gabriel got them something to drink.   
*******   
A man watched from the shadows as the girl, she couldn't be any older than twenty, walked into the apartment. He turned away from the street and took his cell phone from his pocket. 


	3. Problems Start

Chapter 3

  
  
  
  


"Sara, is something wrong?"   
"Huh?" She asked, looking at Ian.   
"You're not here."   
"I'm fine. It just seems like something isn't right." She shook her head and smiled.

"Just one of those feelings. It's probably nothing."   
Just then they saw Renee and Gabriel walking toward them. There was someone else with them. She was about the same age as Renee with light brown hair and soft gray eyes. She had a smile on her face, but there was a troubled look in her eyes.   
Sara stood up and walked toward them. "Who's this?" She asked when she met them in the middle of the room.   
"This is Cara. She's a friend from school. She got here yesterday."   
"Nice to meet you, Cara." She turned to Renee and Gabriel and asked, "Are you ready?"   
They nodded and headed over to where Ian was sitting. Cara stood against the wall and watched. The four of them headed over to the mats. Sara and Renee walked to one end and Ian and Gabriel stayed at the other.   
"Try to kick me."   
Gabriel brought his foot up and sent it forward. Ian grabbed it and quickly let go. 

"Good. Much better than last week."   
Gabriel grinned at the praise.   
*******   
"I want you to try to block my punch." She threw her fist at Renee. The younger girl raised her arm to block it. Sara smiled at her. "That was good. Very quick."   
They rested for a moment, then Sara said, "I'm gonna grab you from behind. I want you to try to get away."   
Renee nodded and turned her back toward Sara. She grabbed her arms and held them tightly. Renee tried to pull her arms away. When that didn't work, she started to twist her body, but this didn't work either.   
Sara let go of her arms and Renee turned around. "You don't want to panic. I know that's easier said then done. When I come up behind you, relax and just slip out of my grip."   
She nodded again and Sara came up behind her and repeated the exercise. This time Renee let her muscles relax and easily slipped out of her grasp. She smiled at Sara. "That's much better, Renee." 

They turned around to see the two men walking toward them. "You two have really improved over the last month," she said to Gabriel and Renee. "I just hope your skills never have to be tested."   
They walked over to where Cara was standing, and after saying goodbye to Sara and Ian, they walked out to the car, then started to drive back to Renee's. They hadn't gone far when Gabriel said, "I need to stop at my shop. Just drop me off and I'll walk home soon."   
He watched her drive away, then walked inside.   
*******   
She knew something was wrong, but she didn't know what it was. When the door opened easily under Renee's hand, Cara's worry increased. "Didn't you lock the door before we left?"   
Renee stopped and thought for a moment. Then all the color drained from her face. "I think I did."   
She stood there for a minute, unsure of what to do. Then, taking a deep, steadying breath, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. 

It didn't look like anyone had been there. Everything was in order. That told Renee that something was wrong here. She took a careful look around, but didn't see anything missing.   
Out of the corner of her eye she saw that the bedroom door was slowly creeping open. She grabbed Cara's arm and backed out of the door. Renee took her phone out of her coat pocket and dialed Gabriel's cell phone number.   
*******   
Gabriel was in the back room when he heard his cell phone ringing. He walked over and picked it up. "Hello."   
"Gabriel." Renee's voice sounded strained with panic.   
"What's wrong?" He asked with fear clutching at his heart with an iron fist. He heard a sharp intake of breath and then silence. "Renee? Are you there?" He was starting to panic, but forced himself to calm down and think. He turned his phone off and threw on his coat. The next second, he was out the door and running down the street toward Renee's apartment.   
He arrived five minutes later breathing heavily. He paused for a second to get some of his breath back, then bounded up the steps.   
******* 

Two men pushed Renee and Cara down onto the couch. Renee stood up, but one of the men pushed her back down. She got back up just to be pushed down again. A seething rage was starting to rise in her. These men had broken into her home and were now holding them captive.   
"Just sit down," one of the men said. He sounded more annoyed than angry. "Whoever you called will be here soon. Unless he's smart."   
"What do you want?"   
"You'd like to know, wouldn't you?"   
"Yeah." There was a sarcastic bite to her voice. "That is why I asked."   
He didn't reply. The other four men in the room just stood there watching them. Their heads turned when they heard footsteps approaching. Renee's face went pale. She knew it was Gabriel.   
The other men looked at the one who had spoken, he was obviously the leader. He nodded and they stood to the side of the door. When it opened, Gabriel stepped in and two of the men jumped him, grabbing his arms. 

He tried to get away, and when he couldn't pull out of their grip, he kicked one man in the shin. The man involuntarily let go of his arm and grabbed his leg. He spun around and smashed his left fist into the other man's mouth and he let go too. Then, the other three men were on him.   
A right crossed to his jaw, and a left stiffened his mouth. Another right smashed him on the chin, then a left dropped him to his knees. He felt a foot in his back, and the next thing he knew, his head was hitting the floor.   
He came off the ground with a lunge and threw everything he had into a right-handed swing, but caught only empty air. A hard-knuckled fist slammed into his chest, then one of them clipped him on the jaw, and lights exploded in his brain. He hit the floor flat on his back and tried to get up. A foot pressed against his chest stopped that.   
Two of the men picked him up and dragged him over to the couch. They dropped him to the floor in front of Renee and Cara. "That's what he gets for being foolish," the leader said. 

Renee just glared at him. She was shaking with anger and frustration. Gabriel struggled to a sitting position and shook his head to clear it. Then, he slowly got to his feet. The leader watched him with grudging admiration.   
One of the men came over to him. "Why don't you just sit down, boy?"   
Gabriel shook his head and quickly lifted his foot to kick the man. He was quicker though. He grabbed it and held it in the air, leaving Gabriel defenseless. Renee jumped to her feet and ran at the man. She rammed her shoulder into his back, and all three of them fell to the floor.   
Another man grabbed her shirt collar and pulled her to her feet. Then, he put a gun to her head.   
"Now, boy, sit down," the leader said.   
All of the color drained from his face, and he sank into a chair. He pushed Renee back down onto the couch, and she stayed there this time.   
The leader walked over to the couch and squatted down in front of Cara. "The boss'll be happy to see you. He was very upset when you left."   
"He can take his time. I left because I didn't want to be with him anymore. He didn't seem to get that." 

"I don't really care about that." He stood up and sent two of the men outside. "Stay out of sight. If anyone tries to come in, stop them."   
Just as the door closed again, the phone rang. Renee jumped up to answer it, but the leader motioned for her to sit back down. It rang three more times before the answering machine picked up.   
"This is Sara. Guess you guys aren't there though. Call me when you get in."   
"When she doesn't hear from us, she's gonna come looking," Gabriel threatened.   
"I'll shut him up for you, Duff," one of the men offered.   
"No," he replied, shaking his head. He walked over to Gabriel and hauled him to his feet. He sent a fist into Gabriel's stomach and he doubled over in pain. Gabriel fell to the floor. It was only by sheer force of will that he kept the nauseous feeling at bay, let alone stood up.   
"You aren't very bright, are you, boy?"   
"Do not call me boy." Gabriel forced the words out. 

He couldn't help but chuckle at this. They could kill him, and this kid was upset that they were calling him boy. He sobered up and said, forcefully, "Listen, boy."   
"Don't call . . . "   
Duff slapped him and started a trickle of blood at the corner of Gabriel's mouth. Gabriel glared at him, but didn't reply.   
"You had better sit there and keep quiet unless you really want to get hurt. I don't think you're that stupid. Please don't prove me wrong. I enjoy my peace." He pushed Gabriel back onto the chair and walked over to his men.   
*******   
When there was no answer at Renee's, Sara called Gabriel's apartment. There was no answer there either. Just then the witch blade decided to give her a vision. She saw Gabriel sitting in a chair. Renee and her friend, Cara, were on the couch beside him. She could see fear and anger in their faces. She grabbed her coat and helmet on her way out the door. 


	4. The Rescue

Chapter 4

  
  
  
  


The men had their backs to the captives, so Renee walked over to Gabriel and sank to her knees. "Are you all right?" She asked in a whisper.   
He nodded his head, keeping his eyes on the men. She took his hand in hers, and he looked down at her and smiled. One of the men turned his head and saw them. He walked over to them and dragged Renee to her feet.   
"Get your hands off of me," she growled at him. "I'm sitting. I'm sitting."   
He let go of her and she sank onto the couch. He walked back over to the group.   
*******   
Sara opened the door to Gabriel's apartment and stepped in with her gun drawn. She looked around, but it was empty. Her shoulders slumped and she turned to leave. Walking out to her bike, she hoped that they were at Renee's, or else she didn't know where else to look.   
A couple of minutes later, she stopped the Buell in front of Renee's apartment. Just then her cell phone rang. "Pezzeni." 

"Pez, it's Jake. You need to come down to the station now."   
"Jake, I'm kinda busy."   
"We just got a new case. We need to check it out."   
"Can't you do it?"   
"We are partners."   
She sighed in frustration. "All right. I'll be right there." She turned the bike around and headed back to the precinct.   
*******   
"You're gonna regret this."   
Renee wished he would keep his mouth shut. He was just going to get himself hurt. Another part of her, however, was cheering him on.   
"That's doubtful," Duff said, walking over to him.   
"You'll be sorry when Sara gets here."   
"Why don't you just shut up, boy?"   
"Don't say I didn't warn you."   
Duff slammed a fist to Gabriel's stomach and doubled him over in pain. Renee jumped to her feet and would have gone to him if one of the men hadn't grabbed her. 

He wrapped a thick arm around her so she couldn't even move. She struggled to get away, then remembered what Sara had told her. She relaxed and started to slip from his grasp. The thug had to think quickly, something he obviously wasn't good at, to keep her from getting away. He pulled her arms behind her and held them pinned like that. She tried to twist away, but it caused pain to radiate from her shoulders.   
She stopped trying to get away and just stood there with her back straight and her eyes looking at the wall in front of her.   
Duff hit Gabriel in the stomach again, then followed it with a right to the jaw. Tears of pain were coming to Gabriel's eyes, but he blinked them back. He wasn't going to let them know how much they were hurting him.   
"If you think this is helping any, you're the one who isn't very bright."   
Duff's face went hard, and he brought his knee up into the younger man's stomach. Gabriel fell to the floor. He could feel the wave of nausea washing over him and was unable to hold it back this time. When it finally passed, he pushed himself to his knees and weakly stood up.   
"Why do you keep doing this to yourself?" Duff asked him.   
"I'm not. You're doing it to me." 

A fist came out of nowhere to catch him right on the chin, and he could feel himself falling. He tried to catch himself, but there was nothing to grab onto. He felt his head hit against the floor, then everything went black.   
Renee heard his head slam against the hard floor and tears began to escape from her eyes as she tried in vain to break away once more. Duff nodded at the man and he pushed Renee away from him. She fell to the floor and crawled over to where Gabriel had fallen.   
She took his head in her hands and pushed his hair out of his face. His lip was split and there were numerous bruises on his face. She looked up at them. The look in her eyes frightened them. There was no denying it. It reminded the men of a wounded animal ready to make its last stand.   
She eased his head to the floor and rose to her feet. With her head lowered like an enraged bull, she advanced on them. Renee had never felt this way before. This rage was something completely foreign to her. They had been attacked too many times, and she was fed up with it. 

One of the men circled around behind her. "Go sit down," Duff said.   
She didn't reply. The thug behind her took a step closer. She lifted her left foot, spun around, and kicked him in the stomach. Duff sent a punch toward her, but she blocked it with an upraised arm. The other thug had advanced and started to move behind her. His kick caught her behind her knee and sent her sprawling to the floor. She started to get up, but was stopped by a knee in her back. After a moment, it was lifted.   
"Now, go sit down so you don't get hurt anymore," Duff told her.   
Renee got to her feet, limped over to the couch, and sank down onto it.   
*******   
"You said there was a new case," Sara said to Jake.   
"Yeah. Not sure if it's a homicide or missing persons though."   
"Not sure?" She echoed.   
"Cara Collins was reported missing a month ago. There has been no sign of her since." He handed a picture to her.   
She looked at it, then said, "Well, she's not dead."   
"How do you know?"   
"I saw her earlier today. Do you know anything about the case?" 

He shook his head. "Not much. Her fiancé, Dakota Miffe, is suspected of being behind several murders, but nothing can be proven. Her family thought he might have had her killed. Where are you going?" He asked when she started out the door.   
"I think I know where she is."   
He just stared at her as she walked away. A couple of minutes later she stopped in front of Renee's apartment for the second time that day. She drew her gun and started up the steps. She had just reached the top when two men stepped out in front of her. They were drawing their guns, and the witch blade reacted. The two men fell down the stairs and the blade retracted. She continued up and opened the door.   
Gabriel was just starting to open his eyes when the door swung open, and Sara stepped in. He saw the men spin around to face her. Everything else happened in a blur. The next thing he knew, the three men were dead, and Sara was kneeling down beside him.   
"Gabe, are you all right?" 

He nodded his head. Renee was instantly on her feet and on the floor beside him. He sat up, and she put her arms under his shoulders and lifted him to his feet. His knees almost gave out on him, so she helped him over to the couch.   
Sara turned to Cara and said, "Your fiancé won't give up. Can you tell me why he's after you?"   
"I found out what he had done and didn't want to be a part of it, so I left. But I guess I couldn't get away from him. He has important connections." She turned to Renee. "I'm so sorry for bringing this on you. I just wanted to get away."   
"Don't worry about it now. We're okay."   
"Maybe you should stay at my place until this is over," Sara suggested.   
"You wouldn't mind?"   
"Not at all."   
"I'll drive her over," Renee offered.   
"Thanks."   
Sara left and after she had made sure Gabriel was fine, Renee drove Cara to Sara's apartment. She dropped her off and drove home. When she walked inside, Gabriel was standing at the stove. "What are you doing?"   
"Making something to eat. Haven't eaten all day."   
"Let me do that. You go sit down." 

When the food was done, she put it on the table and they ate in silence. Once she had finished, Renee looked up at him. He felt her eyes on him and glanced up. "What is it?"   
"I was scared today. You need to stop doing that."   
"Doing what?"   
"You know what. Your mouth is going to get you killed one of these days."   
"So you would rather have me surrender to them without a fight."   
"No," she defended herself. "I just wish you would think a little."   
His face softened when he saw the worry in her face. "I'm sorry. I don't know what makes me act that way. It just gets under my skin when people try to push me around."   
"I know." She stood up and walked to the other side of the table. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her. Her hands moved behind his back and she leaned in for a kiss. His lips lingered on hers for a second after they parted. Renee pulled away and put her fingers through his belt loops. She started to walk backwards, pulling him to the bedroom. 

They collapsed on the bed, and her hands moved to his shirt. She untucked it and slid her hands underneath it. She lifted it over his head, then let it fall to the floor. He tore at the buttons on her shirt, and somehow managed to get it off. His hands slid around her back, and he pulled her closer to him. Her hands moved around behind his head and pulled it to her for another kiss.   
They fell to the bed and his hands moved up into her hair. He twisted one of the curls around his finger. Her hair fell around her face and brushed his cheek. He brushed it away and ran his finger along her cheek and down to her chin.   
*******   
Dakota Miffe stepped out of the taxi and walked into the café. He saw a newspaper laying on the counter. Picking it up, he scanned the contents and almost dropped it when he saw the front page story. He couldn't believe it. They had failed. His best men had failed. He sent them after a woman and they failed. 

He swore under his breath, then turned around and stormed out. He took his phone from his pocket and angrily dialed a number. "I'll find someone to take care of that bitch," he said to himself.   
*******   
Renee lay on her side and looked at Gabriel with a smile on her face. The morning sun was shining through the window, and she could see the peacefulness of sleep on his face.   
There was some stubble beginning to grow above his upper lip. She couldn't help but smile. Even in sleep, he looked younger than he was.   
She rolled over on her stomach beside him and closed her eyes. Soon she was asleep again.   
  
  
  



	5. More Trouble

Chapter 5

  
  
  
  


Renee sighed. "I always did hate shopping for clothes. Especially dresses."   
Both Sara and Cara laughed. Cara told her, "Well, Renee, unless you plan on getting married in jeans you'll have to deal with it for a bit."   
"Well, then can't we at least try to find a simple one. I don't care for fancy designs." She frowned at the dresses they were looking at.   
Her two friends laughed again. "This one's not too fancy," Sara said pulling one off of the rack.   
Renee took it from her and headed for the dressing room. A couple of minutes later she emerged with the dress on. She frowned and shook her head. Sara handed her another one.   
The top had buttons down the front and it tied in the back. There was lace around the neck and the ends of the sleeves. It had a v-neck, but wasn't too low cut. The sleeves were short. They only came to right above her elbows. The skirt was plain. It flowed down to her ankles.   
She stepped out of the dressing room and turned around in a circle for them. "That one looks nice on you, Renee," Sara said. 

She nodded. "I like it."   
"Now you need some shoes."   
She rolled her eyes, but let them drag her to the shoe department.   
*******   
"What do you mean you don't have her yet?" Dakota Miffe was furious.   
"We haven't been able to get her."   
"I hired you a month ago and you still haven't accomplished a thing." He was close to screaming by now.   
"She's always with those cops."   
"I don't care. Just get her."   
He turned around and stormed out of the building. The men watched him leave, then looked at each other nervously. "What should we do?" One of them asked.   
"Find her and get rid of her," another one replied.   
*******   
Gabriel walked out of the store and took the box out of the bag. Renee will like this, he thought. He put it back into the bag. The claddagh ring was the perfect gift for her. He knew how interested she was about everything having to do with Ireland. In fact, some people might say she was obsessed. But Gabriel knew that it was just that she was passionate about the things she liked. He grinned to himself. He knew this very well. 

He got in his car and drove back to Renee's place. She still wasn't back from shopping yet. Walking into the bedroom, he placed the small box on her pillow. He was sure it wouldn't take her long to spot it. Just as he sat down on the couch, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs.   
The door swung open, Renee stepped in, and smiled at him. "Are my legs still attached?" She asked with a tired smile.   
He laughed. "Yeah, they are. Guess it was a long day."   
"Remind me to never go shopping with those two ever again."   
"That bad, huh?"   
"Let's just say I could have gotten done in a couple of hours what it took them half the day to do. And we have to do it again tomorrow when Morgan gets here."   
He stood up and walked over to her. In a teasing voice, he said, "Poor thing. What can I do to make it better."   
She grinned at him. They both knew what he could do. He wrapped his arms around her and their lips met in a kiss. When they finally pulled apart, she said, "That's a start." 

He covered her mouth with his. Renee was lost in a state of pleasure. her hands moved behind his back and started to lift his shirt off. Their lips only parted long enough to get some air in their lungs and undress each other. Then, they fell to the floor.   
She loved the feel of his bare skin against hers. She could feel the heat radiating from his body as they melted together. Their hearts beat a rhythm in their chests and soon everything else was forgotten.   
*******   
"Jake, where are you going?" Cara asked, sitting up in bed.   
He turned around and smiled at her. "As soon as you get dressed, we're going to the station."   
"Why?" She asked as she swung her feet to the floor.   
"Because I need to go to work and there is no way I'm going to leave you here alone."   
She decided that was best and started to get dressed. "Why are you going to work in the middle of the afternoon?"   
He shrugged his shoulders. "This is just when Captain Richards wanted us to work this week."   
They walked out to his car and drove to the precinct.   
******* 

The cold floor chilled Renee, bringing her awake. Gabriel was laying next to her with his arm over her. She rolled out from under him and sat up. Finding her clothes, she pulled them on and walked into the bathroom. A couple of minutes later she came out and went into the bedroom.   
She saw the small, black box sitting on her pillow. Picking it up, she opened it, smiled, and walked back into the living room. Gabriel was sitting up and looking around. When he saw her, a smile brightened his face. He saw the box in her hand and said, "Happy St. Patrick's Day."   
She laughed. "This is the first time I've ever gotten something for St. Patrick's Day."   
"Do you like it?"   
"I love it." She kissed him, then said, "And you."   
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down on top of him. She pulled away, grabbed his hands, and stood up, pulling him to his feet.   
They somehow made it to the bedroom. "Looks like I shouldn't have bothered getting dressed," Renee said as they fell to the bed.   
******* 

She stepped out of the car, walked up to the door, and knocked. She knocked two more times before the door opened. Gabriel stood there in his jeans, and his hair was sticking up in numerous places, betraying the fact that he had just gotten out of bed.   
"Is this where Renee Mackenzie lives?" She asked, a blush starting to rise in her cheeks.   
He nodded his head and said, "Yeah. Come in. I'll get her."   
"She's not still in bed, is she?"   
"Actually, she is."   
She had a look on her face that told him she didn't believe him. "I have never known Renee to sleep in past eight."   
He grinned guiltily. "Well, she's not sleeping."   
She started laughing when she realized why Renee wasn't up yet. Then, she followed him inside and waited on the couch while Gabriel went into the bedroom. A minute later Renee came out in a t-shirt and jeans. She was pulling her hair up into a pony tail. 

She smiled brightly. "Hello, Morgan. I see you've met Gabriel."   
"Yeah. Are you ready to go?"   
"No. I just got out of bed."   
"I heard."   
Renee laughed and headed back into the bedroom. "I just need to get changed."   
A couple of minutes later she came out in a pair of tan slacks and a green blouse. Her hair was combed with the sides pulled up. Gabriel walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "You look wonderful," he told her.   
She smiled at him and said, "I'll be back sometime today. I hope." She said this last with a grin.   
He kissed her, then she pulled away, picked her purse up from the table, and walked to the door. She turned around and smiled before walking out the door.   
Once she had left, he walked into the kitchen and made some coffee. When he had finished drinking it, he walked into the bathroom and turned on the water to take a shower.   
******* 

Renee and Morgan met Sara and Cara outside of the mall. They walked inside together, talking and laughing. A couple of hours later, they came back out. "Does this mean we're done?" Renee asked.   
They laughed. Morgan replied, "Yes, Renee, we're done." She shook her head. "We might be cousins, but no one could accuse us of being sisters."   
"They used to think we were twins," Renee reminded her.   
"Yes, they did. But now we don't even look alike."   
Sara looked at her watch, then said, "I've got to get to work now."   
They said goodbye to her, then Cara, Morgan, and Renee got into Renee's car and drove away. Renee pulled up in front of her apartment, and the three of them stepped out.   
"I need to be going now," Morgan said.   
"Okay. See you in August."   
Morgan got into her car and drove off. Renee and Cara turned toward the building. They started to walk up to the door, then saw men coming toward them from three directions.   
They broke into a run and saw the apartment door open. Then the men grabbed them. Gabriel stepped outside, and one of the men started to shoot at him. He grabbed his arm and stumbled back through the door. 

He got to his feet and looked out the door. A car was speeding away. Renee and Cara were gone. He sank to his knees and put his head in his hands. The pain in his arm brought him back to his senses.   
He looked at his arm and saw that the bullet had cut a furrow along his arm right below his shoulder. Blood was running down his arm. he grabbed the edge of the door and pulled himself to his feet.   
Walking into the bathroom, he took off his shirt and looked around for some bandages. Once he found some, he placed them on the sink counter, got a wet washcloth, and cleaned the area around the wound. Then he filled the sink with hot water and carefully bathed the wound. He knew this wasn't going to be enough to keep infection away, but it was all he could do for now. Once a bandage was in place, he walked into the bedroom and slipped into a clean shirt. He tried not to move his arm too much, because when he did it sent a dagger of pain all through it.   
He walked to the door and saw that he had dripped blood on the floor. Deciding that he would worry about it later, or never again depending on how things went in the next couple of hours, he shut the door behind him and started down the street.   
******* 

"This is ridiculous," Renee said from the backseat of the car.   
Cara tried to warn her to be quiet, but one of their captors was quicker. "Just shut up before you get hurt." A menacing glare from him backed up the command.   
She shut her mouth, leaned back against the seat, and closed her eyes. She tried to block everything out of her mind. Instead she thought of Gabriel. She had seen him get hit by that bullet and fall back into the house. At the thought of him in pain, tears threatened to come.   
She opened her eyes and looked at Cara. She could see the fear in her friend's eyes and wanted to do something to ease it. They had been like sisters for most of their life and had always felt what the other was feeling. She gave her a weak smile.   
It seemed an eternity before the car finally stopped. The door opened and someone pulled Renee out by her coat. She stumbled, then stood up straight. The men pushed them ahead of them into a large, empty building. 

Renee stumbled and cried out in pain when her knee struck the hard floor. She rolled over and held her leg. Her pants leg had ripped and blood was oozing from the cuts on her knee. She glared at the men, but they just laughed.   
Cara sat down beside her and asked, "Are you okay?"   
She nodded her head, then tears started to roll down her cheeks.   
"What's wrong?"   
"Ga-Gabriel is h-hurt," she managed to say between sobs. "He was shot. W-what if he's . . . " She let the sentence trail off.   
"He's not," she told her firmly. "I haven't known him long, but something tells me that he's too stubborn to die without a fight."   
She squeezed Renee's hand then let her cry, knowing that was what she needed to do right now.   
******   
Sara walked up and knocked on Renee's door. No one answered. She knocked again, but there was still no answer. She turned the door knob, then pushed it open. "Hello," she called as she stepped inside. There was no answer, only silence. She glanced down and saw blood on the floor. Suddenly she was given a vision by the witch blade. She saw some men grab Renee and Cara. Then she saw Gabriel fall back into the house after being hit by a bullet. The last thing she saw was him walking into a dark shop.   
She snapped out of her trance-like state, turned and quickly walked outside. She didn't know where to start looking, but she had a feeling that Gabriel was about to get himself into more trouble than usual. 


	6. A Loss

Chapter 6

  
  


"I can't do it, Gabriel."   
"Just this one favor for me, man. I have the cash."   
"No, Gabe. If I do, you'll just go get yourself killed."   
"If you don't, I'll just buy one from someone else."   
He could see the determined look in Gabriel's eyes and knew there was no changing his mind now. "Fine. But when you're dead, don't say I didn't try to stop you."   
He handed a gun to him, and Gabriel pushed some money across the counter. He pushed it away and said, "Keep it. I won't take money from a dead man."   
Gabriel tucked the gun into his pants and left the store, leaving the money on the counter.   
*******   
Renee didn't know how long they had been there. There were no windows in the building. She couldn't ask the men. They would only talk to her long enough to tell her to shut up.   
She was just starting to close her eyes to try to get some sleep when the door swung open, and sunlight flooded in. She squeezed her eyes shut to block the light out. When she felt it was safe, she opened them again. 

A large man was standing in the middle of the room looking at them. He was rather handsome with short blond hair and piercing green eyes. But there was a look in his eyes that Renee instantly mistrusted. She saw Cara out of the corner of her eye and noticed that her face had gone white with fear.

The man walked over to Cara and looked down at her. "I would have liked to see you again under different circumstances, but I guess these will have to do."

"I never wanted to see you again under any circumstances."

"Look . . ."

"No, you look. When I figured out what you were, I didn't want to be dragged down with you. I used to think you loved me, but living in fear of you proved me wrong. I was finished with that. So why don't you just leave me alone?"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Renee stood up and stepped between them. She pushed him away from her friend. He took a step backward, surprised. Then he stepped forward and pushed her to the floor.

Her shoulder hit the concrete floor, and tears of pain came to her eyes. She saw him dragging a struggling Cara toward the door of the building, but knew she couldn't do anything to stop him. She was going to try anyway. Renee stood up and started walking forward. Her knee, however, wouldn't work right, and with every step, stabs of pain went through her arm.

She took another step forward, and her knee went out from under her. She fell to the floor and couldn't get her leg under her to stand up again. Before he went through the door, she heard someone ask him, "What do you want us to do with the other one?"

"I don't care," he replied with a shrug. "Kill her."

He pulled Cara after him and left. The men turned around, and the one who seemed to be in charge walked over to her. She looked at him with mixed fear and defiance in her eyes.

"I don't want to kill you," he told her. "But I don't see any other choice."

"You could just let me go," she suggested. 

"So you could tell your cop buddies where to find us? Sorry, but that's not a possibility."

"You can't kill me. She'll come after you and won't stop until you're dead." The paleness of her face contradicted the assurance in her voice.

The man turned around. He remembered reading about the men Miffe had hired before. They had all been killed with a sword. He had to think of a way to get rid of this girl without that happening to him.

*******

Gabriel walked down the street not sure where he should start looking. He came to an abandoned building and for some reason felt he should check there. He pulled his gun out and walked toward it. The feel of the gun in his hand was reassuring yet frightening. 

Walking around the corner of the building, he found the door. Gabriel approached it warily, unsure of what he would find inside. He stepped through and had to let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting.

There were three men inside. One had a gun pointing at him and the other two were pointing their guns at Renee. He raised his gun to point it at the man facing him. A bullet slammed into the stock of Gabriel's gun and sent a shock of pain into his hand and up his arm. He dropped the gun and grabbed his hand. This caused pain to shoot through his already injured arm.

The man advanced on him and his mind raced to remember what Ian had taught him. Stay calm, he reminded himself. Think about your actions. 

The man had reached him by this time. He reached out to grab Gabriel, but the younger man knocked his arms away, then hit him in the mouth. He followed it with a fist to the nose.

One of the other men left Renee and came over to help his partner. He wrapped his arms around Gabriel so he couldn't get away. Gabriel started to panic, then forced himself to stay calm. He kicked his feet out and fell to the floor, bringing the other man down with him. 

He was up quicker than the larger man, but before he could use this to his advantage, the other man grabbed Gabriel by his shirt collar. This pulled his sleeve up, showing the bandage. The man grinned wickedly and tore the sleeve off. Then he ripped the bandage off and hit Gabriel's arm right on the wound. He cried out in pain as it opened and started bleeding again.

He hit him in the same spot several more times, then pushed him to the floor. Gabriel struggled to his feet, but was getting weaker as the blood left his body. The man hit him in the stomach, then hit his jaw, and Gabriel fell to the floor again. He didn't have the strength to get up.

Renee crawled over to him. His eyes had been closed, but he opened them when he felt her beside him. She picked up the torn off sleeve and used it to try to stop the bleeding. She held it on the wound with one hand. With the other one, she held his hand. He looked up at her and smiled. then his eyes closed.

*******

Sara was turning her computer on when she heard a knock on the door. She looked up to see Captain Richards standing in the doorway. "Is something wrong, Pezzeni?" He asked. "Looked like something was bothering you when you came in."

"Gabriel's missing. So are Renee and Cara. I need to find them."

"I'll send someone out to look for them."

"Thanks, sir."

He left and she turned back to her computer. Sara started to search for anything she could find on Dakota Miffe. In an hour she had found out a lot. One of his connections was Kenneth Irons. That told Sara all she needed to know. Of course she knew she would never get any information out of him.

She also found out where some of Miffe's warehouses were located in the city. She was about to leave to check them out when her phone rang. "Pezzeni."

"Pez, it's Jake. They found Cara. I'll meet you on the corner of Edmund and Heath Street."

"I'll be right there." She didn't like what she heard in his voice. It sounded devastated.

She walked quickly outside, jumped on her bike, and started toward the appointed place. When she arrived, there was a crowd gathered around the side of a building. She pushed her way through, saying "Excuse me" and "Let me through" until she was in the front.

Jake was standing by a sheet-covered body. He looked at her, and she saw a pained look in his eyes. She hesitated a moment, then lifted the sheet. What she saw made her want to be sick.

Cara was laying there, her naked body exposed. There were visible signs of abuse all over her body. Her throat was slit, and her eyes were open, staring toward the sky. Sara dropped the sheet back over her body and turned away.

"Jake, get her body out of here. "I'm gonna get this guy."

"Pez, I'm coming with you."

She looked at him, knowing how he felt. "No, Jake. I'll take care of him. You take care of her."

She pushed her way back through the crowd and got on her bike. A rage started to rise in her as she rode to one of the warehouses on her list. She had only known Cara for a couple of months, but they had become friends in that time. Sara knew that she had meant even more to Jake.

She stopped in front of a warehouse and walked inside with her gun drawn. It was empty. She turned around and kicked the wall in frustration. 

"Anger will not find them."

She spun around and looked at Danny. "Nothing else is working either," she snapped at him.

"They will be found. All you need is patience."

"I don't have time for patience! They could already be dead."

"They aren't. You still have time." With that he disappeared, and she left to check out the next warehouse.

*******

Gabriel's head was in Renee's lap when he started to wake up. He groaned then started to open his eyes. Renee put her hand on his shoulder. "Lie still," she whispered. "You lost a lot of blood. You don't need to lose any more."

He looked up at her and smiled. She pushed his hair out of his face, then ran her fingers down his nose and to his lips. "When we get out of here," he whispered weakly.

She smiled at him, then took his hand in hers and squeezed it. Bringing it up to her lips, she kissed it. "You should go back to sleep," she told him.

"Only if you go with me."

She lifted his head out of her lap and laid it gently on the floor. Then, she laid sown beside him and put one arm under him, and the other one went around his back.

She woke up several hours later to find him thrashing around. Renee rolled to her knees and put her hands on his shoulders to hold him still. Sweat beaded his forehead, and there was a feverish look is his glazed eyes. She put a hand to his forehead and found it hot to the touch. She stroked his head for several minutes until he finally stopped thrashing. She rose to her feet and made her way slowly over to the men. "There's no reason for you to keep us here. Why don't you let us go?"

"I already told you once. You'll tell your cop buddies about us. Can't risk that."

"But he's going to die if I don't get him to a doctor." She was almost in tears at the thought. 

The man just shrugged. "That's his fault. He shouldn't have been so stupid."

"Bastard," she hissed through her teeth as she lunged at him.

The other two men grabbed her arms and pulled her up short of her target, whose face had gone pale. The color was coming back as he advanced on her. She was struggling to get away, but wasn't able to. A fierce pain was radiating from her knee and it almost gave out on her. She would have fallen if the men hadn't been holding her up.

He had reached her and was smiling wickedly. She glared at him defiantly. She was shaking so much inside that she didn't trust her own voice. He slapped her, leaving a red mark on her face and opening a cut at the corner of her mouth. "Now, go sit down. You can do your boyfriend a lot more good if you're alive."

The men tossed her to the ground, and she landed on her side. Her hip, elbow, and shoulder hit against the hard, cement floor. She tried to stand up, but her leg folded on her, and she sank back to the floor. She dragged herself back over to Gabriel and laid beside him as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

*******

"I can't find him. I can't find Renee and Gabriel. I don't even know where to start." Sara put her head in her hands. She was frustrated with all the dead ends.

"Let me help you, Pez," Jake said. 

"Jake, I know how you feel."

"Then let me help you get him."

"Jake, I can't"

"Why not?"

"You're too close."

"And you're not? She was your friend too."

Sara lowered her head and sighed.

"Pez, I want to get this guy."

She looked up again. "I do too, but we have to leave revenge out of this."

"I don't want revenge. I want justice."

She thought for a moment, then said, "All right. Let's go," She said as she grabbed her coat.

"Where are we going?"

"Vorschlag Industries."

*******

Gabriel's shirt was soaked with sweat. Renee had pulled it off of him hours ago to use it to mop the sweat from his body. He was burning up, but was shivering like he was cold. The sweat continued to pour forth, and Renee didn't know how to make him more comfortable. 

He had been like this for several hours. She wasn't sure exactly how long though. Time seemed to drag by. His fever wasn't getting any better. In fact, it was getting worse as each hour passed. Renee was afraid that he was going to die if he didn't get help soon.

She could heat the three men talking. "He's suffering enough as it is," the leader told the other two.

"Aw, can't we at least have some fun with him?"

He let out a sigh. "Go ahead. But leave her alone. I don't know about the boss, but I wouldn't mind some time alone with her." 

The men chuckled as they walked over to the two captives. Renee jumped to her feet and stood between them and Gabriel. "Don't go near him," she said in a threatening voice.

"Get out of the way," one of them replied, pushing her away.

The other man pulled a bottle out of his pocket and opened it. He bent down and held it over Gabriel's face. Turning it over, he emptied the contents into the cuts on his face. He let out a scream of pain, then started muttering incoherently. The men just laughed to themselves. "It's not that bad, boy. It's just whiskey."

One of them kicked him in the side and laughed when he groaned in pain. He brought his foot back for another kick. Renee chose this time to launch herself at his other leg. He stumbled and fell to the ground. The other man grabbed her as she started to get up. He dragged her over to the leader and dropped her to the floor. "Have fun with this little spitfire," he said with a grin.

The leader reached down and grabbed her arm. She jerked it away. "Keep your hands off of me."

He grabbed her again and said in a menacing voice, "I will tell you what to do. Now stay on the floor."

She stood up and glared at him in defiance. He rose from his seat and looked down at her. "When I say stay on the floor, I want you to be laying on the floor."

"I don't care what you want."

"Get down."

"No."

A fist flew into her stomach, and another one crossed to her jaw. Her legs crumpled, and she fell to the floor. He grinned as he got to his knees.


	7. Announcement

Chapter 7

  
  


Jake waited in the lobby while Sara went in to see Irons. Kenneth was sitting at his desk. Ian was standing behind him with his head bowed. Sara glanced at him then looked at Irons. "What do you know about Dakota Miffe?"

"He is an associate of mine."

She glared at him. "That does not answer my question."

He shrugged "He's a young man trying to make his way any way he can."

"He's a murderer!"

Sara spun around to see Jake standing there. "I thought I told you to stay out there."

He didn't take his eyes from Irons. "Didn't want to leave you alone with this slick snake." 

Sara let out a sigh and walked over to him. "We might as well go. We're not gonna learn anything here."

They left, and Irons turned to Ian. "You are not to help them. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." He turned back to his desk. Realizing this meant he was dismissed, he walked out of the room. Once he was out of Irons' office, Ian walked down the hall and outside.

He knew that what he was about to do would get him in trouble, but he felt he didn't have any other choice. Sara needed help, and he could give it. He started down the street.

*******

The leader was straddling Renee when the door swung open. His head swung up and he saw his boss standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing?" He demanded. "I thought I told you to kill her."

"I was thinking about how to do that when he showed up." He pointed back at Gabriel.

"Why didn't you just kill both of them. Put a bullet in their heads. It's not that difficult."

"We were going to. Just thought we'd have a little fun first."

"I did not hire you to have fun," he exploded. "Now, get up and take care of them."

He reluctantly stood up, then jerked Renee to her feet. She pulled away from him and stood there glaring at him. He picked his gun up from where it was sitting and prodded her in the back with it. "Get back over there." When she was seated on the floor beside Gabriel, he pointed the gun at her head. 

"You don't want to do this," she told him, her voice shaking with fear.

"Doesn't matter what I want. He's the one paying me."

He pulled the hammer back on his gun and wrapped his finger around the trigger. Renee looked at Gabriel, who was mumbling something she couldn't understand. She closed her eyes and waited for the sound of a shot.

*******

Sara walked up to her door, then out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ian step out of the shadows. "What do you want, Ian?"

"I know where your friends are."

"Does Irons know?"

"Where they are? Yes. That I am helping you? Probably."

"But you're doing it?"

"Yes."

"Then take me there."

"Yes, Lady Sara."

He started down the street and she followed him. About fifteen minutes later, they came to a warehouse. They walked inside and saw the three men standing around Gabriel and Renee Sara saw Miffe standing in the middle of the room and started toward him. Ian made his way to the other side of the room.

The man with his gun pointed at Renee heard him approaching and spun around. Ian swept his coat behind him and drew his guns. The man was knocked down by a bullet and didn't move.

The other two men were dead seconds later. Renee heard the first shot and opened her eyes when she realized it hadn't hit her. She saw Ian standing there. Then, she looked around and saw the three men laying on the floor. She sighed in relief, then turned to Gabriel.

Dakota Miffe turned around when he heard footsteps approaching him. His eyes widened with fear when he saw her. She pressed the tip of the blade over his heart and pushed it through. He screamed in agony as he fell to the floor.

Sara walked over to Renee and Gabriel. "How is he?" She asked gently.

Renee shook her head. "Not good. He needs to get to the hospital."

Sara nodded. "I'll call Jake."

After she had finished talking to him, she looked around for Ian, but he was already gone. She looked at Renee and noticed with a start that she looked extremely pale.

"Are you okay, Renee?" She asked, concerned.

Renee nodded, but Sara could tell that she wasn't. The younger girl turned around and vomited. When she turned back around, she was paler than before. Something Sara hadn't thought was possible.

"When we get to the hospital, you'd better have the doctor look at you, too."

Renee shook her head. "I'm fine."

Sara started to disagree, but stopped when she heard a car pull up. Jake walked in and saw them standing there. He walked over to them and helped Sara get Gabriel to his feet. They got him out to the car and Renee followed. When they got to the hospital, Jake helped a nurse get him into a bed. Sara had a nurse take Renee to a room, too. She protested the whole time, but they finally got her to lie down in a bed. 

A couple of minutes later a doctor came in and examined her. When he was finished, he smiled at her. "You'll be fine. This is perfectly normal."

She looked at him with a confused look on her face. He noticed this and told her, "You're a couple of months along all ready."

"You mean?"

He nodded his head. "Is your husband out there?"

She shook her head. "My fiancé is in another room here. That is why I am here."

"Do you have anyone else here with you?"

She nodded. "Two friends. Jake McCarty, goofy-looking blond and Sara Pezzeni, long, brown hair."

He left and a couple of minutes later they came in. Both of them had smiles on their faces. "The doctor told us," Sara said. "Congratulations."

She returned their smile. Then asked, "How is Gabriel?"

"You have a one track mind," she said shaking her head. "We haven't heard. But, don't worry. He'll be fine."

"What about Cara? Did you find her?"

Sara glanced at Jake, then looked back at Renee. "She's dead," she said in almost a whisper.

"No. She can't be." Renee refuses to believe it. 

"I'm so sorry, Renee."

She looked into Sara's eyes and saw that she wasn't joking. Tears started to roll down the younger girl's cheeks, but she furiously wiped them away. A nurse poked her head into the room. "Miss Pezzeni, the doctor is done with your other friend and would like to speak to you."

She nodded, then turned to Renee. "I'll let you know what he says."

Sara followed the nurse down the hallway. She saw a doctor standing outside of Gabriel's room. "I cleaned up his wound and the cuts on his face," he told her. "Also, I gave him something for the fever. He is sleeping right now and needs to rest. He should make it though. It's a good thing it didn't take any longer to get him here or else he probably wouldn't."

"Thank you, doctor."

He nodded and walked away. She walked back to Renee's room and told her what the doctor had just told her. Once she was sure Renee would stay where she was, she walked out to the waiting room.

*******

"You disobeyed me, Ian. You told me you wouldn't help them, then you went out and did it. Didn't you?"

"No, sir," Ian replied, raising his head and looking Irons directly in the eyes.

Irons slapped him and said, "Do not lie to me, Ian."

Ian glared at him and said, "I told you that I understood that you did not want me to help them. I never said I would not help."

"Did not want you to? I forbade you from doing it." He let out a disgusted sigh. It was directed as much at Ian as it was at himself for losing his temper. "Get out of here."

Ian turned around sharply and walked out of the room.

*******

Renee woke up and looking out the window, saw that the sun was setting. She swung her feet to the floor and glanced around the room. Then, she remembered where she was and that Gabriel was in another room in the same building. She walked out of the room and down the hallway to the lobby.

Sara saw her coming toward her and stood up. "He's still sleeping," she told the younger girl knowing that was what she wanted. "His fever's going down. The doctor's sure he'll recover just fine."

"I want to see him."

Sara saw a nurse and called her over. After talking to her for a minute, the nurse turned to Renee and said, "Follow me, Miss Mackenzie."

She left her in the room alone with Gabriel. Renee pulled a chair over and sat down. He looked like he was sleeping comfortably, so she didn't want to wake him. 

He shifted in his sleep and moaned. Then, he started mumbling incoherently. She heard her name, but couldn't make anything else out. 

Renee took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently. "You're going to get better," she told him. "You have to. We're going to have a baby and I need you here."

He moaned again, then started to open his eyes. He looked around and saw Renee sitting beside him. "Where am I?" He asked groggily. 

"In the hospital. You have a fever. I wasn't sure that you were going to make it for awhile there."

He smiled at her. "Well, I'm still here. Where's Cara?"

Tears started to cascade down her face. Gabriel pushed himself up with his good arm. "What happened?"

Renee raised her eyes to look at him and tried to blink away the tears. "She's dead. He killed her."

Gabriel's face went pale. "Where is he?"

"He's dead, too. Sara got him."

"Good."

"You need to get some sleep," she told him.

He nodded and closed his eyes. Renee smiled at him. She would tell him her news later.

*******

The next morning Renee was asleep in a chair in Gabriel's room when the doctor walked in. He touched her arm and she came awake with a start. She yawned, then smiled at him. 

"His fever's gone and the wound is healing nicely. And there doesn't seem to be any other problems, so you can take him home when he wakes up."

"Thank you, doctor."

He nodded his head. "Have you told him yet?"

She shook her head. "No. I thought I'd wait until we got home."

He nodded again, then left them alone. Not too much later, Gabriel started to wake up. When he opened his eyes, he saw her and smiled.

She smiled back at him and asked, "Do you want to go home now?"

"Of course."

"Sara brought you some clean clothes." 

She handed them to him and waited for him to get dressed. Then, they walked out to the lobby and met Sara and Jake there. "You two ready to go?"

They nodded their heads, and the four of them walked outside. Jake drove Renee and Gabriel to her apartment while Sara rode her Buell to the precinct to see Captain Richards.

They rode in silence in the backseat of the car. Renee was trying to think of a way to say what she had to tell him once they got home. She wasn't sure how he would react, they had never really talked about it. He could tell something was bothering her, but didn't want to ask her about it until they were alone.

When they had arrived and were alone together, Gabriel turned to her and asked, "What's wrong? You've been awfully quiet. Something's on your mind."

"Nothing's wrong, but we do need to talk."

They sat down on the couch. Renee took a deep breath, then looked at him. She decided that a direct approach would be best. "I'm pregnant."

He stared at her in shock. "What? How?"

She giggled. "If you don't know how, then . . ."

He started laughing too. "Well, I do know how it happened. Just took me by surprise." He wrapped his arms around her and stood up, lifting her to her feet. He hugged her and said, "I love you."

Her hands moved around his back, and she whispered, "I know."


	8. Life Goes On

Chapter 8

  
  


"Are you still planning the wedding for the end of August?" Renee heard her father ask the question from the other end of the line.

"Yes, Dad."

"I might be able to make it, but I'm still not certain."

"Okay," she said without any emotion.

They said goodbye and Renee hung up the phone. She had waited a month to call him, afraid to tell him. When she finally did, she couldn't tell if he was upset or just shocked. He hadn't seemed to know what to say. He had finally managed to say congratulations.

She was nearly in tears when she turned away from the phone. Gabriel saw this and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and without saying a word, he silently comforted her. 

*******

Ian climbed through the window into Sara's apartment. She was sitting at the table looking like she was deep in thought. Her head swung up when she heard the floorboards creak under his weight. "Ian, what are you doing here?" She asked, startled. "I don't need help on a case."

"I left," he replied without looking at her.

"Left where? And you can look at me when we're talking."

"Irons' employ. I no longer work for him."

"I'm sure he liked that," she said sarcastically.

"He did not, Lady Sara." He glanced up at her and she caught a quick glance of a bruise of his cheek.

"Did he do that to you?" She asked.

"Yes, Lady Sara."

"Come sit over here," she said standing up and pulling out a chair. "I'll have a look at it."

He sat down and she noticed that his hair was down. She couldn't remember a time when she had seen it like that. She brushed it away from his face to get a better look at the bruise. It had been hiding a gash along the side of his head. She put a hand out to touch it, and he pulled away.

"Did he do that, too?"

"Yes, Lady Sara."

"I'll be right back. And stop with the Lady Sara. It's just Sara."

She walked into the bathroom and several minutes later came back with a large bowl of hot water, a bar of soap, and a washcloth. She set the bowl on the table and wet the washcloth. Then, Sara put some soap on it.

She brought it up to the gash to wash the dried blood away, but he jerked away when it touched his head.

"What's wrong?"

"That's hot!"

She laughed. "Don't be a baby. It's not that bad."

He let her wash the gash, but winced every time the hot cloth touched his shin. When she had finished cleaning it, she put a bandage over it. Then, she walked into the kitchen and filled a small bag with ice. She handed it to Ian and when he looked at her questioningly, told him, "Put it on your cheek. It will help keep any swelling down."

He did it and she went to dump the water from the bowl. When she came back, she sat down and asked him, "Why did you leave?"

"I didn't want to take orders from him anymore. When I told him I was leaving, he slapped me, then hit me with his cane." He put a hand to where the gash was.

"That bastard."

Ian grinned. "It would have been worse if I hadn't taken the cane from him."

"Did you beat him with it?" She asked eagerly.

He chuckled. It sounded strange coming from him, but Sara decided she liked it. He shook his head. "No. I broke it over my leg and threw the pieces on the floor. Then, I left."

Sara laughed to herself. She would have given anything to see that. She yawned, then looked at her watch. "Well, I'm gonna head to bed now. You can crash on the couch if you want to."

Ian watched her walk to the bedroom, then looked at the couch. He wasn't sure what it was she wanted him to do there. He decided that he would just sleep on it and ask her in the morning.

*******

Renee rolled over and was instantly awake when she realized the other side of the bed was empty. She sat up quickly and looked around. When she saw that Gabriel wasn't in the room, she swung her feet to the floor and walked to the living room. She saw him in the kitchen making a cup of coffee. He looked at her and smiled. 

"Didn't mean to wake you," he apologized.

"You didn't." She stretched her arms over her head and said, "Can't believe I slept later than you."

"Well, you have been keeping yourself up late writing for over a week now and still getting up as early as ever. You needed to catch up on your sleep."

She smiled at him, then went to heat up some water for her morning cup of hot chocolate. Once it was ready, she sat down at the table across from him. "Are you going riding today?" He asked her. "Yeah," she replied nodding her head. "Thought I would since in a couple of months I won't be able to anymore."

He just smiled at her. Gabriel still couldn't believe that in about six months he was going to be a father. "I have to talk to my landlord. Tell him I won't be living there anymore." They had agreed it would be easier for him to move in there, since he was there all the time anyway, until they could find a bigger place. "Then, I'm gonna go to the shop."

She nodded her head. "I'm gonna go see Sara after my ride."

She finished her hot chocolate and went into the bedroom to change into her riding clothes and pull her hair up into a ponytail. Then, she kissed him goodbye and walked out the door.

He watched her leave, then walked into the bathroom and took a quick shower. He got out, dried off and dressed. Then, he left to talk to his landlord.

*******

Renee had found a stable several miles out of the city where she could ride. She had soon become good friends with the owner. He let her choose whatever horde she wanted to ride, and she helped him out around the barns for several hours a week.

She chose the same horse every time. Heavenly Cyclone was a young, chestnut gelding with white splashed on his face and legs. He was very well mannered in the arena. When they got out on the trail, however, he was a completely different horse. She had to keep her mind on her ride the whole time or she would find herself sitting in the dirt. 

He was a challenge, but she felt it was worth it. She had grown fond of him in the month that she had been riding him. She would groom him for quite some time after their ride, talking to him the whole time.

She got out of the car and walked up to the barn. The owner was standing outside waiting for her. He smiled at her and asked, "Are you riding Cyclone again today?"

"Of course."

"I figured that. Got his equipment out for you."

"Thanks, Mark."

"No problem."

He followed her as she walked to the horse's stall. "How much longer are you gonna be able to ride?"

"Still got a few months before I have to stop." 

"When is the baby due?"

"Not until early October," she replied as she swung the saddle onto the gelding's back.

Cyclone nudged her arm, and she chuckled. "Yes, little monster, I have a treat for you."

She took a bag of apple slices out of her pocket and fed one to him. Then, she led him out of the stall and climbed into the saddle. They walked out of the barn, then she headed him toward a trail.

When they returned an hour later, Renee was grinning broadly. "Didn't act up once. You getting soft on me, little monster?" She asked the horse affectionately, patting his neck.

He nickered and nudged her shoulder. She dug another apple slice out and gave it to him. Then, leading him back into the barn, she untacked him and put him back into his stall. After grooming him for half an hour, she spent another hour helping Mark around the stables. When she had finished, she said goodbye to him, got in her car, and drove back into the city. 

*******

"When are you moving out?"

"As soon as I can get my stuff moved out," Gabriel replied. 

The landlord nodded. "Sorry to see you go. Liked having you as a tenant."

An embarrassed blush started to rise in his cheeks. "Thanks, sir. I should have my stuff out by the end of the week."

"All right, Mr. Bowman."

With a nod, Gabriel turned around and walked out of the building. He climbed into his car and drove to his shop. Opening the door, he thought it felt like someone was watching him. Gabriel looked around, but couldn't see anyone, so he shrugged the feeling off and went inside.

He turned his computer on and walked into the back room. He had just picked up the small, black stone he had gone to Argentina to get almost a year ago when he heard the front door open. He poked his head out of the doorway, expecting to see Renee. Instead, he saw a large man heading for his computer.

He stepped out of the doorway and walked over to the man. "Is there something I can help you with?"

The man looked up and said in a low, menacing voice, "Money."

Gabriel just stared at him. "What?"

"Give me your money," he demanded.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was starting to sound like a bad movie. "You've gotta be kidding."

"I'm not, boy. Now just hand it over."

"I can't. I don't have any cash here."

"You must have some. You can't run a business without money."

Gabriel bit back a sarcastic response remembering that he had promised Renee he would try not to get himself into trouble. He just looked at the man without saying a word.

"If it is not here, then where is it?"

Gabriel kept his lips clenched tightly. He wasn't going to tell this guy anything. Getting tired of standing there, Gabriel started to turn around. As he was turning, he caught a glimpse of a gun being held alongside the man's leg. Time seemed to stand still as the man flipped the gun around in his hand and stepped forward meaning to pistol-whip Gabriel.

He instinctively threw the stone in his hand at the man and start to run toward him. The stone hit the man on the side of his head stunning him for a second. He recovered quickly and brought the butt of the gun down for a blow.

It barely missed its target as Gabriel rushed in and threw two quick punches to the man's stomach. He grunted and pulled away. The gun came down again, and Gabriel caught a glancing blow on the head. He fell to the floor. The man bent down and pulled Gabriel's wallet from his pocket. He took the money from it and stuffed it in his pocket. Throwing the wallet to the floor, he left.

*******

Renee knocked on the door and waited a minute before knocking again. It wasn't until after the third knock that the door finally opened. Sara seemed surprised to see her. "Hello, Renee. What are you doing here?"

"Gabriel was going to the shop, so I just thought I'd stop by after my ride and say hello." She saw Ian sitting on the couch. "Hello, Ian."

"Come on in."

She followed Sara inside and sat in a chair across from the couch. "Did Irons give you the day off?" She asked Ian. 

He shook his head. "No. I no longer work for him."

Renee was shocked to hear this. She hadn't thought Ian would ever leave Irons. "Why?" She tried not to act too curious, but couldn't help asking. 

"He . . .I didn't want to take orders from him anymore."

He recovered quickly from his slip, but not before Sara caught it. She looked at him sharply not saying a word. He lowered his eyes, and she knew that something was wrong. Ian shook his head slightly, letting her know not to ask about it now.

She shrugged and turned to Renee. "You're still riding?"

The younger girl nodded. "Only for a couple more months," she replied, her hand moving to her stomach. "Then, I'll have to stop."

"Are ou two looking for a bigger place?"

"Yeah. No luck yet though."

"I'm sure you'll find one."

Renee smiled at her friend. "I did need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if," she hesitated for a second, then continued. "If you'd e my maid of honor."

"Of course. I'd love to be, Renee."

"I was going to ask Cara, but . . ." She couldn't even finish the sentence. Her friend had been dead for over a month, but she still couldn't believe it. 

Sara looked at her with sympathetic eyes. She knew what Renee was going through and knew that it wasn't easy. She wanted to comfort her, but didn't want to say "I know how you feel" even though she did.

Renee swallowed the lump growing in her throat, looked up, and smiled. "Thanks, Sara. What happened to you, Ian?" She asked, just noticing the bandage on his head.

"Irons tried knocking some sense into me." He grinned. "It didn't work though."

Sara couldn't help but laugh at this. He had changed quite a bit in a short time. No longer seeming creepy, he acted like any other person. Maybe getting away from Irons was all he had needed.

Renee smiled and shook her head. Then, she stood up and said, "I should be getting home now. I'll talk to the two of you soon." She walked out of the apartment and started home.

*******

Gabriel's eyes opened and he stared at the ceiling for a moment while the memories came flooding back. He could remember hitting the intruder before everything had gone black. He struggled to a sitting position and put a hand to his throbbing head. There was a sticky substance on the side of it. Bringing his hand away, he saw that the stickiness was blood. Then, he remembered the man had hit him with his gun.

He managed to get to his feet and walk over to the door. He grabbed onto the doorknob before he could fall. His head felt like it was spinning out of control. He tried to steady himself, and when he thought he had enough control, he stepped outside and started walking down the street forgetting he had driven there. 

Fifteen minutes later he staggered up to the apartment door. He made it up the stairs and practically fell through the door. Renee was taking off her coat when she heard the door open. She spun around and saw Gabriel stumble inside. She was beside him in a second. "What happened?"

"Man . . . tried to rob me. Had gun . . . hit me . It hurts." He grinned foolishly at her. "I tried . . . no'to provoke him," he said, his words slurring together.

She took his arm and led him over to the couch. "Don't talk anymore. Let me look at your head."

She pushed the hair away from the gash and grimaced. "Ouch. That must've hurt. She walked into the bathroom and came back with a washcloth and a bandage. After washing the blood away, she put the bandage over it.

"Tired. Think I'll jus' sleep here," he said slowly.

"No you don't. You'll sleep in the bed," she replied helping him up. Once she got him into bed, she sat in a chair in the corner of the room. Renee knew she would have to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't have a concussion. She watched him as he slept and had a hard time controlling the urge to slide into the bed beside him.

*******

"Ian, tell me why you really left."

"What do you mean, Sara?" He tried to act like he didn't know what she was talking about. "I already did."

"You didn't tell me the truth."

Ian let out a sigh and looked up at her. "He wanted me to bring you to him. But I refused to. He wants to control you like he controls everything else." He looked down at his hands, then back up at her. "I couldn't let him do that."

She didn't know what to say. She had never even thought that he had enough free will to tell Irons no. Before she could reply, he continued. "But he won't stop. He'll just find someone else to come after you."

"What about you?"

"They will be after me as well." He put a hand to his head. "This won't be the worst that will happen."

"Maybe you shouldn't be here then. If being near me will get you into more trouble."

"Too late to change what has happened. Leaving wouldn't help at all."

"What can we do though? We won't even know who he'll send after us."

He shook his head. "I don't know. I really don't."


	9. Trouble Again

Chapter 9

  
  


Renee must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew she was opening her eyes. As they came open, she saw Gabriel starting to sit up in bed. Getting to her feet, she was beside the bed in seconds. "My head hurts," he told her. 

"I'm sure it does. Now, lay back down and go to sleep." She was pretty sure he didn't have a concussion. His eyes were clear and he had just spoken his first coherent sentence since he had arrived home.

He fell back to sleep right away. She walked over to the other side of the bed and slid under the covers next to him. Her arms slid around him, and she rested her head against his back. With the comforting feel of his body against hers, she fell into a peaceful sleep.

*******

"Do you understand what I want you to do?" Kenneth Irons asked the men standing in front of him. 

Four of the five men were experienced, professional killers. The other one had not even reached thirty. He seemed out of place among his companions. The leader of the group was large with muscular arms. He had a calm look to him, but was very deadly. His dark brown hair was kept cut short and starting to gray, and his green eyes were sharp. The two men behind him were identical. They were tall and thin, but well built. Both had short blond hair and pale blue eyes. The fourth man had bright red hair and green eyes. His hands were large, and there was always a sour expression on his face. The youngest in the group had dark, brown hair and eyes that were brown pools. He acted like he was carrying a chip on his shoulder, but there was something lacking in him that was in the other men. The pleasure that came from killing.

"Yes," the leader replied. "We are to find Sara Pezzeni and Ian Nottingham and bring both of them to you."

"Unharmed," Irons reminded him.

There was a look of disappointment in the man's eyes, and it could be heard in his voice when he echoed, "Unharmed."

"Good, you understand. Now, go find them." He dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

*******

Gabriel was laying on his side looking at her when Renee woke up. She saw that he was awake and smiled at him. "Feeling better?" She asked him.

"Head still hurts, but I think it's better."

"That's good. You're hungry."

He was about to say no, then he realized it wasn't a question and smiled. "Okay," he said as he slowly sat up swinging his feet to the floor. They walked into the kitchen and Renee started making something for them to eat. 

When they finished eating, Renee noticed that Gabriel's face looked strained. "What's wrong?" She asked, concerned.

"Have you seen my wallet? It's not in my pocket, and I know it was when I left this morning."

She shook her head. "Did you leave it at the shop?"

It was his turn to shake his head. "I never took it out of my pocket." He suddenly thought of something, and his face went red with anger. "I bet he took it."

"Who?"

"The one who hit me."

He stood up and started to walk to the door.

"Gabriel, where are you going?"

"To find my wallet."

"I'm driving," she said grabbing her keys and starting after him.

They walked outside and couldn't see Gabriel's car sitting in front of the apartment. Then, Gabriel remembered that he had driven to his shop, but hadn't driven back. They climbed into Renee's car and drove away.

*******

"I think we should wait."

"And why do you think that, Jakey-boy?" The redhead asked.

"Because it makes sense, Aidan. Right now they are expecting him to send someone after them. If we wait at least a month, they'll let down their guard."

"But he's not paying us to wait," he replied angrily. Aidan Murphy didn't like their new recruit. 

"Sanchez, Murphy, stop your bickering." The leader, William Ryan, was sick of their constant arguing. 

The twins, David and Dennis Duffy, just stood off to the side watching to see what the outcome would be. They didn't care so much when they got the two as long as they did. Their brother had been killed, and they thought they knew who did it; Sara Pezzeni. 

"Aidan, Jake is right. Right now they're gonna be cautious, but in a month or so they'll grow less so."

Aidan glared at Jake, then stormed past him muttering something about being the teacher's pet. William put his hand on the younger man's shoulder and said, "He'll get used to you. Just don't get on his bad side in the meantime."

"Too late for that," he muttered as he walked away.

*******

Gabriel pushed the door open, and Renee followed him inside. He instantly spotted his wallet on the floor and bent down to pick it up. Opening it, he saw that it was empty. "Damn it," he swore. 

"How much was in there?" Renee asked coming up behind him.

"Not more than a hundred. I don't like to carry much with me. But it still rankles that he did this."

She slid her arms around him and locked her fingers together in the middle of his stomach. Then, setting her chin on his shoulder, she said, "I know it does. Let's go home," she said after a moment.

He nodded and they left again.

*******

"What do we know about these two?"

Monica looked up at her boss, then back to her computer screen. "Ian Nottingham was Kenneth Irons' personal bodyguard slash assassin until about a week ago. He spent some years in a special forces unit, the Black Dragons. Deadly with every weapon, he has yet to be charged with any killings he's done for his boss."

"And Sara Pezzeni?" Frank Donovan asked.

"She's a homicide detective for the New York Police Department. Lives alone, well she did until Nottingham showed up a week ago. She's a straight cop, but not above bending a few rules if it gets the job done."

"When's Jake due to report in again?" He was worried about the young agent.

"Not for at least another hour." Alex Cross looked at him from the table and could see the worry on his face. "Don't worry, he'll be fine."

Donovan didn't look relieved. He started pacing the length of the room, then turned to the man sitting at the computer. "Cody, we need to get visual in there. Can you do it?"

"Sure can, boss." He turned to the computer and started typing until they could see the inside of the building where Jake Shaw was.

*******

"Sara, it's not right. I have been staying here for free for two months. I should be paying you or helping out in some way."

"Don't worry about it right now, Ian. We'll talk about it later and figure something out. Gabe and Renee should be here soon."

She finished setting the table, then turned off the oven and stove. Five minutes later there was a knock on the door. Sara opened it and let Gabriel and Renee in. "Come in," she said stepping out of the way.

She set the food on the table, and the four of them sat down to eat. When they had finished, Gabriel looked up at Ian and with a wink at Renee said, "Renee keeps nagging me about getting a tux, so we should probably go in to look tomorrow."

Ian nodded his head. "I am glad you asked me to be your best man," he said, then added with a grin, "I think."

They laughed, then Renee stood up and started to help Sara clean off the table. 

"I can do it. You don't have to help," Sara protested. 

"I want to."

Sara shook her head, but didn't say any more. Once the table was cleared off, they walked into the living room and sat down. After talking for a couple of hours, Renee and Gabriel started home. 

*******

"We've waited long enough! They can't still be suspicious." Aidan was getting impatient with Jake's unwillingness to go after them.

"Sanchez, Murphy's right. And Irons is getting upset that we haven't done anything yet. We need to make a move," Ryan said.

Jake kept the stubborn set to his jaw for a moment, then his head bent and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Fine. What do we do?"

"Tonight we go after them."

"That's the plan? We're gonna need more than that."

"That's all you need to know. We make our move tonight."

"I'm gonna take a walk. Get some air," Jake said walking toward the door. He needed to call Donovan.

*******

"What are we doing?"

"What we are being paid to do," Aidan sneered at Jake.

"No, we're not," he protested. "These aren't the two we're after."

"Jake, shut up," David Duffy spoke up. "These two will lead us to the ones we are after."

They were watching Renee and Gabriel as they walked back to their apartment. They were walking arm in arm while they talked and laughed. Nothing was wrong in their world right now. They didn't realize that soon something would change that. Jake wished he didn't have to do this.

"Let's go," Ryan said.

They started forward with Ryan and Murphy in the lead. The twins were behind them, and Jake followed behind. They slowly made a line behind the two and followed them until they noticed their presence.

Gabriel spun around and stepped between the men and Renee immediately recognizing the danger they represented. "What do you want?" He growled at them.

"You two are going to come with us," Ryan informed them.

"No. We're not."

"Listen, boy. You'd be smart to do as we say."

Suddenly five guns were trained on them. Gabriel stood there ready to fight. Then he realized that if he was hurt or killed, he wouldn't be able to protect Renee. His shoulders slumped in surrender. "Fine. Just let my fiancé go."

The leader shook his head. "Sorry, boy, but she's coming too."

They pushed the two young people ahead of them until they reached a van hidden in an alley. Once everyone was in, the doors were slammed shut, and the van pulled away.

*******

Sara opened the door and saw a man she didn't know standing there. "Hello," she greeted him, not sure what he wanted.

"Miss Pezzeni, my name's Frank Donovan. Can we come in?"

She noticed the woman standing behind him and asked, "Who are you?"

"Alex Cross. We're with the department of justice and we need to talk to you."

They showed her their badges. Sara looked at them carefully, then stepped aside so they could come in. "That's Ian Nottingham," she told them nodding at the couch. 

"We know."

This took her by surprise, but she recovered quickly. "What do you have to talk to me about?"

"One of my agents, Jake Shaw is undercover as Jake Sanchez." Donovan started. "We're hoping to bring down a group of hired killers."

Sara interrupted him. "What does this have to do with me? If you want the department's cooperation, you should talk to my captain."

He shook his head. "We already have the police department's cooperation."

"Then what do you want with me?"

Donovan took a deep breath before continuing. "Kenneth Irons hired these men along with my agent about two months ago."

"When I left," Ian muttered.

Donovan looked at him, then continued. "They were to come after the two of you, but agent Shaw was able to hold them back for the past two months. He couldn't keep them away any longer, however. He reported in earlier today and told me that they're coming after the two of you tonight."

"Thanks for the warning."

"It's not just a warning. I'd like to leave agent Cross up here. When they show up, I'll come up with some men and we'll get them." Then, he added. "And with them, Kenneth Irons."

She looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Of course. If it will bring down Irons."

"Good. Keep in contact with me," he told Alex as he started toward the door.

*******

"Jake and Aidan, you two watch them."

"Yes, sir."

Renee and Gabriel were sitting against the wall with their hands tied behind their backs. She was doing her best to keep the tears that desperately wanted to flow from rolling down her cheeks. Gabriel wanted to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, but he couldn't. He had the sudden urge to attack these men. Realizing he couldn't do any damage with his arms restrained, he fought it down.

"What do you want with us?"

Aidan kicked his knee. Gabriel bit back a cry of pain and glared at him.

"I wouldn't make him mad," Jake said. "He's in a bad mood today. Like every day," he muttered.

"I don't care. I want to know what you want with us."

Aidan grabbed his shirt and jerked him to his feet. "Boy, just keep your mouth shut. It will make things more pleasant for everyone." 

"No."

A fist flew into his stomach, and he dropped to his knees. Aidan kicked him, and Gabriel rolled over on his side and groaned. He kicked him several more times until Renee pleaded, "Stop it! Please stop."

He grinned and started to walk toward her. Jake got up and stood in front of him. "Leave her alone."

"Why should I listen to you? I'm starting to think you're against us."

Jake ignored his last statement. "Look at her. She's pregnant. Don't harm her."

Ryan walked up to them and said, "Aidan, they're just bait, don't do anything to them."

"Yes, sir," he replied reluctantly.

"I need to get some air," Jake said looking disgusted at Murphy.

"All right, Sanchez. Dennis, come take Jake's place."

Jake walked outside and down the street before taking his phone from his pocket.

"Jake, what's going on?" Donovan asked.

"Plans changed. They didn't tell me. Went after Renee Mackenzie and Gabriel Bowman for bait. They're gonna get ahold of Pezzeni and get her down here."

"I'll contact her and tell her. Then, we'll come in."

"Okay, boss. Hurry before the boy gets himself killed."

Jake hit the end button on his phone, put it back in his pocket, and started back.


	10. The Days Fly By

As soon as Donovan told them what had happened, Sara grabbed her jacket and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" He asked her in a commanding voice.

"To save my friends."

"You can't go in alone," he stated matter-of-factly.

They stared each other down for several minutes until Sara caved. "Fine. Me and Ian will go in, then you can come with your team."

He started to protest, but she stopped him. "It's either that, or I'm going in alone. You decide."

He stood his ground. After several minutes of silence, Sara started to turn to Ian, but he was already beside her. Frank Donovan sighed and said, "Fine. We'll back you up. When do you want to go in?"

"Right now."

He looked at her then nodded his head. "As soon as you get there, we'll come in."

Sara and Ian walked outside, and she got on her bike. "Want to ride?"

He climbed on behind her. Putting on her helmet, she started down the street.

*******

Once they realized that Renee and Gabriel weren't going to try to escape, only one man was left to watch them. Jake kept one eye on the other men while he watched the captives. When he was sure that no one was paying any attention to them, he whispered, "Don't worry. This will be over soon."

Renee didn't know why he was being quiet, but she kept her voice down as well. There was a cynical note in it when she said, "What? When you kill us?"

He chanced a glance at the men then looked back at her. "I'm not gonna kill you. I'm an undercover agent with the department of justice. We're trying to get these men. Just be patient. It will be done soon."

Renee looked at him and only saw sincerity in his face. She nodded slightly then leaned her head back against the wall. She could feel the baby moving inside. Looking over at Gabriel, she saw that he was smiling at her. 

She turned around and laid down with her head in his lap. They smiled at each other. Renee closed her eyes and fell asleep. Gabriel glared at their captors daring any of them to come near her. They avoided making eye contact with him. Soon, realizing they were going to leave the two of them alone, he closed his eyes and joined Renee in sleep.

*******

Sara stopped her bike in front of the building and pulled her helmet off. She got off and saw that Ian was already walking toward the back of the building. She drew her gun, opened the door, and stepped inside. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the difference in lighting, and she saw four men sitting on the other side of the room. Renee and Gabriel were against the wall closer to her. Only one man was guarding them. Sara recognized him as Frank Donovan's agent.

The men saw her, and William Ryan stood up. Walking to the middle of the room, he asked, "Who are you?"

Ian stepped inside before she could answer. "Someone who does not like having her friends abducted," Ian told them in a low voice.

Ryan realized who it was. He hadn't been able to see her well enough before. Sara advanced on him, the witch blade in full gauntlet form, and he backed up. They continued this pattern until he was backed up against the wall. With the tip of the blade pressing against his throat, he started begging for his life.

Disgusted, she withdrew the blade and swung at his head. It connected with a resounding whack, and he crumpled to the floor. As his limp body hit the cold floor, the doors slammed open. The surviving killers opened fire on the men who stormed into the building.

The blade retracted, and Sara raised her gun and exchanged shots with Aidan Murphy. He fell to the floor grabbing his throat where the bullet had stuck him. He tried to swear at her, but he choked on his own blood. After a few minutes, he let out a final breath and died. 

She turned around and saw the twins laying side by side, each with a bullet between their eyes. They were identical even in death. Ian was standing on the other side of them with his guns still in his hands. 

Sara smiled at him and mouthed, "Thank you." Then, she walked over to where Jake was helping Renee and Gabriel to their feet. 

"Are you two all right?"She asked, concerned. 

They nodded their heads. Then, Sara saw Donovan walking toward them. "Are you okay, Jake?"

"Yeah. They're dead?"

"Yes. All of them. The side of one's head was smashed in," he said looking at Sara. 

She shrugged like she didn't know how it happened but avoided meeting his eyes. 

"Looks like he'll get away again."

Sara looked at him sharply and asked, "Why? Don't you have anything on him?"

He shook his head. "We were counting on one of them talking."

She turned and walked outside. Ian was right behind her. "Sara, you cannot go after him."

"And why is that, Ian?" She snapped the question at him. "He sent these men after us and you don't think I should go after him?"

"It would destroy you, Sara, if you killed him. You do not kill in cold blood. You would not forgive yourself if you did."

"If it was him, I would." She started to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"His time will come."

She tried to get away, but his grip remained strong. Finally, she gave in. "Fine. I won't go after him, for now. But if something happens, and I find out he's behind it, don't try to stop me."

After a moment, he replied, "I won't."

They turned around, but before they could start inside, they saw Renee and Gabriel coming out. "You two ready to go home?" She asked them.

"Yeah."

Alex stepped forward and offered, "I'll drive you home."

"That would be nice."

They got in her car and were headed home.

*******

"So, Renee. Next week's the big day, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm so nervous, Sara."

"You don't act like it. You seem so calm."

"I'm not. I'm not at all."

"Just relax. Your dad is coming, isn't he?"

"Yeah. At least he is unless something else comes up," Renee said bitterly.

"Don't worry. I'm sure he'll come," Sara assured her. 

"Think I should have gotten a bigger dress," the younger girl said with a laugh desperately trying to change the subject. 

Sara smiled at her friend. "Good thing we got it altered. Do you have everything moved into your new place?"

"Yeah. We got everything moved in and unpacked last night." Renee felt Gabriel's arms slide over her shoulders. "You ready to go?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah."

They walked down to the car and drove away from Sara's apartment. Ten minutes later they pulled up in front of the hospital. Gabriel helped her out of the car and they walked inside. The receptionist saw them and smiled. "The doctor will see you in a few minutes, Miss Mackenzie."

She nodded her head, and they sat down. After a five minute wait, a nurse came out and told them, "The doctor is ready for you now."

Gabriel stood up and helped Renee to her feet. Then, they followed the nurse down the hallway. Renee sat on the bed, and Gabriel sat in a chair in the corner of the room. A couple of minutes later the doctor came in. He smiled at them and said, "Let's see how the little one's doing."

When he had finished examining her, the doctor said, "Everything looks to be fine. Are you two sure you don't want to know the gender?"

"We're sure," Renee replied after a slight hesitation.

He nodded then turned around and left. They followed him out of the room and walked out to the car. Then, they started home.

*******

The next morning Renee was sitting on the couch when the phone rang. She slowly rose to her feet, and walked over to it just as slowly. "Hello, Dad," she said recognizing the phone number on the caller i.d. 

"Renee, I have some bad news."

"What is it?" She asked already knowing what it would be.

"My boss just told me last night that I have to go on a business trip in a couple of days, and I'll be gone for a week."

"So you won't be here for the wedding."

"I'm sorry. I tried to get out of it."

"It's okay, Dad. I understand."

Hanging up the phone, she turned around with tears in her eyes. Gabriel was standing in the middle of the room, his hair still dripping from his shower. 

"What's wrong?"

"He's not coming."

"Your dad?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, Renee."

"It's all right. I shouldn't have expected anything else from him."

He took her face in his hands, and their lips met in a kiss. They pulled apart after a minute, and she said, "You're my angel. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd figure it out, but I promise you that you'll never have to."

*******

They had just finished eating dinner when someone knocked on their door. Gabriel stood up and went to answer it. He opened the door, and Renee turned her head at his gasp of surprise. His parents, the Bowmans, were standing outside.

"Mom, Dad, please come in," he said. "We didn't expect you for another couple of days."

"Well, son, we thought we'd come early and see if there was anything we could help with," his father, Peter, replied.

Gabriel shook his head. "I think we have everything taken care of."

Peter put his hand on his son's shoulder and smiled at him. "I'm not surprised." Turning to Renee, he said, "This boy never needed help doing anything. Or wanted any."

Gabriel looked down at the floor in an attempt to hide the flush rising in his cheeks. His mom spoke up. "Can we see the baby's room?"

Renee smiled at her and said, "Yeah. Follow me."

She led the way into the room and flipped the light switch on. The walls were painted a medium green. Gabriel had painted them so that they looked like rolling hills. The ceiling was painted black with small, white stars. There was a crib in one corner of the room. The wood was left unpainted. A rocking horse was sitting in the opposite corner. There was a wooden dresser in another corner.

"Did you do this all yourself?" His father asked him.

"Not completely. Sara's partner, Jake McCarty, and their boss, Stephen Richards, helped."

Gabriel's mother, Catherine, and Renee smiled as father and son talked. "Have you found out yet if it's going to be a boy or girl?" She asked her soon to be daughter-in-law.

Renee shook her head. Everyone seemed to be asking them this. "No. We both wanted to be surprised. But we have names picked out for both."

"What are they?"

"If it's a girl, we're going to name her Cara Morgan. And if it's a boy, Peter Michael."

"That's wonderful that you're going to name him after his grandfathers if it's a boy. Speaking of your father, when is he coming up?"

"He's not. He's going to be out of town for a week."

"Who's going to walk you down the aisle then?"

Peter and Gabriel had turned their attention to the women by this time.

"No one I guess," Renee replied with a shrug. She was trying to act like it didn't bother her, but they could see how much it did.

Peter stepped forward and said, "I'll do it if you'd like."

Not knowing what to say, she settled for, "Thank you."

He shook his head. Not a problem. It would be my pleasure to do it."

Gabriel led his parents down the hallway to the room they would be sleeping in until after the wedding. Once they had their bags in there, all four of them went back into the living room. They talked until the moon was high in the sky. Then, they all went to bed.


	11. A Birth & A Wedding

Chapter 11

  
  


When Sara walked into her apartment, she saw Ian slipping into a shirt. She smiled at him and asked, "How was your first day on the job?"

He had just stepped out of the shower five minutes before, and water was dripping from the ends of his unrestrained hair. 

"It was good. It was nice to work with a horse again. I must remember to thank Renee for getting me the job."

"Well, tonight's the wedding rehearsal, so you can tell her there."

"Then, I will thank her tonight."

He went into the bathroom and pulled a brush through his long, dark, curly hair. After he had pulled it up, he walked back into the living room.

*******

Gabriel pulled up in front of the church and shut off the engine. He stepped out of the car, walked to the other side, and opened the door for Renee. They walked inside to wait for everyone else to arrive. 

The pastor was already there, and he smiled as the door closed behind them. They walked over to where he was standing and exchanged greetings with him. Five minutes later the door opened; Sara and Ian stepped in. Several minutes later Morgan and one of Renee's sisters, Tammy arrived. They were followed by the rest of the wedding party: Renee's other sister, Molly, Stephen, Nick, and Jake.

"Are we ready to start now?" The pastor asked.

"Yeah."

Once they had figured out where everyone's place was, they practiced for an hour before they were satisfied that everyone knew what they were supposed to do the next day. 

"Let's go eat," Renee said. "I'm starved."

They all laughed, and Gabriel slipped his arm around her shoulder. They walked out to the cars. Gabriel opened the door for Renee so she could get in. Then, he walked to the other side, go in, and started the car. 

They were almost at the restaurant when Renee let out a gasp. "What's wrong?" Gabriel asked as he glanced over at her. He saw that her face had gone white. 

"I think my water just broke."

"What? But the baby's not due for more than a month."

"That's not what it thinks."

He looked ahead and pushed down on the gas pedal. As the car accelerated, he picked up his cell phone and quickly dialed a number. When Sara picked up on the other end, Gabriel hurriedly explained. "We're almost at the hospital now."

"All right, Gabe. We'll meet you there."

He got Renee into the hospital, and a nurse helped her into a room. Soon the doctor arrived. Gabriel stayed right beside her, holding her hand. Five hours later the doctor asked her to push one more time. She did as he said, and he took the small form in his hands as it slid out. After they cut the umbilical cord, the doctor handed him to a nurse. She took him out of the room.

"Congratulations, Mr. Bowman and Ms. Mackenzie," the doctor said. "You have a baby boy."

"I have a son," Gabriel whispered in awe. He looked down at Renee and squeezed her hand. "We have a son."

She smiled weakly at him then closed her eyes, exhausted. A nurse came in a moment later with their son wrapped up in a blanket. She held him out to Gabriel, and he took him carefully in his arms. He couldn't believe how small he was. 

Renee opened her eyes, and Gabriel handed him down to her. She held him in her arms and smiled at him. He opened his little eyes and yawned. Then, he let out a wail. She brought him up to her breast, and he latched on. 

After he was finished, he fell asleep cradled in her arms. "I dub thee Peter Michael," she said softly smiling down at him then looking up at Gabriel.

A couple of minutes later a nurse poked her head through the door. "You have some visitors, but they can't stay long."

"Send them in," Gabriel told her.

Sara and Ian came in followed by Morgan, Tammy, Molly, Stephen, Nick, and Jake. "So he decided he didn't want to wait another month, huh?" Sara joked.

"Nope. He already takes after his dad," Renee replied with a grin.

"What does that mean?" Gabriel asked with mock indignation.

Renee giggled. "He's impatient and stubborn."

"Then I guess he takes after you, too."

After everyone had congratulated the new parents, the nurse shooed them out of the room saying, "She needs to get some rest."

Once everyone but Gabriel and the nurse were gone, Renee, suddenly curious, asked, "What time was he born?"

The nurse thought for a moment, then remembered. "11:11 p.m."

She left taking Peter to the nursery. Gabriel squeezed Renee's hand before saying, "You should get some sleep now. I'll be out in the waiting room with everyone else."

She nodded and closed her eyes, exhausted. Renee fell asleep right away, and Gabriel bent over and planted a kiss on her cheek. Then he left, pulling the door softly behind him. 

*******

When Renee woke up, the sun was brightening the room. She pushed herself up in bed and looked around. Gabriel was sitting in a chair across the room with Peter in his arms. He saw that she was awake and walked over to her. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he placed the boy in her arms.

"I guess we will need to find a new date for the wedding," he said after a few minutes. 

She shook her head. "No, I still want to get married today."

"But . . ."

She stopped him. "Call the pastor and see if he can come here today. Then get Sara, Ian, Morgan, my sisters, your parents, Nick, Stephen, and Jake here." She smiled at him. "We don't need to be in a church or have a large guest list to get married."

After giving her hand a tight squeeze and kissing her lightly on the forehead, he walked outside and dialed the pastor's number. Five minutes later everyone was on their way. Gabriel walked back up to Renee's room. 

When he walked in, she had just finished feeding Peter. "Everyone's coming," he told her.

She nodded. "Good."

Ten minutes later everyone was gathered in the room. Renee handed the baby to Sara and the pastor started the ceremony. Once they had exchanged their vows, and Gabriel had slipped the ring on her finger, he leaned over and kissed her. 

Sara handed Peter back to his mother as he started to cry. She murmured something to him, and he quieted down. Gabriel sat on the bed beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. Their friends and family filed past them; each stopping to congratulate them. Gabriel's mother and father lingered.

"You two must be blessed. A birth and marriage in two days."

"I'm a lucky man," Gabriel said with sincerity.

After making sure that both the mother and baby were healthy, the doctor said that they were fine to go home. A nurse wheeled them to the front doors where Gabriel was waiting with the car. They put Peter into the car seat in the back, then started home.

*******

Just as Sara stepped inside, her phone rang. "Pezzeni," she said when she picked it up.

"This is Frank Donovan," the voice on the other end answered. 

"What do you want?" She asked, curious as to why he was calling.

"We learned something about your friend, Gabriel Bowman, and Kenneth Irons."

She was surprised to hear that they had found something about Gabriel. "Go on."

"He was abducted from his family when he was just a few months old."

"I know. We found that out when his brother was killed."

"We have learned that Kenneth Irons is the one who had him abducted."

Sara's mouth fell open. After a moment the shock wore off, and she regained her composure. "Why haven't you gone after him then?"

"We don't have enough proof. We can't make a case yet."

"Then why did you even tell me?"

"So you could decide whether or not to tell your friend." He paused a moment, then added, "I heard they got married and had a son."

"Yes, they did. A month ago."

"Give them my congratulations."

"I will."

She hung up the phone and turned around running right into Ian. "Who was that?" He asked. 

"Frank Donovan." She started to tell him what Donovan had said, then stopped. "I have to get over to Renee and Gabe's."

"But you just came from there."

Sara didn't hear him because she was already out the door. She got on her bike and started toward their place. Weaving in and out of traffic, she made it there in a little more than five minutes. She left her helmet with her bike and bounded up the stairs two at a time. Gabriel opened the door after her second knock.

Renee was coming out of Peter's room as Sara stepped inside. "Back already?" She asked with a smile. Then, she noticed the worried look on her face. "What's wrong?"

They sat down and Sara explained. As soon as she had finished, Gabriel said, "That was a long time ago. Does it really matter now?" He wasn't really surprised that Irons had been behind it. It angered him, but he wasn't going to do anything reckless now that he had a family to worry about.

"What if he were to have little Peter taken?"

"Why would he do that?" Gabriel hadn't thought of that. 

"Why did he do it to you?"

He didn't know what to say to that. Renee went into her son's room and came back out a minute later with him in her arms. "He'll never get you, Mic." She had started calling him by this shortened version of his middle name soon after he was born so that there wasn't any confusion between him and his grandfather.

"I'll stay here to make sure nothing happens."

"No, Sara. You can't," Gabriel told her. "We can't live under your protection for the rest of our lives."

Sara recognized the stubborn set to his jaw, and she knew that there was no point in arguing with him. "You're right," she replied, her shoulders slumped in defeat. "And I hope I'm wrong. How's he doing?" She asked trying to change the subject.

"Good. Doesn't wake up much during the night. He doesn't cry much either."

"He's quiet like his mom," Gabriel said with an affectionate grin.

She playfully hit him, then told Sara, "My dad's coming up to see him tomorrow."

"That's good. So he'll finally get to see his other grandfather?"

"Yeah."

Sara stayed for a little bit longer, then left. Gabriel took Peter from Renee while she made dinner. He sat at the table and stood the boy on his knee. Peter smiled at him and started making soft cooing noises. Gabriel straightened one of his soft, brown curls, then let it coil back up. 

Renee looked at them and smiled to herself. Gabriel was a natural parent. He had seemed to know exactly what to do from the day his son was born and wasn't uncomfortable holding him like some new fathers would be. She turned the stove off and said, "Dinner's ready."

*******

"Glad you could make it, Dad."

Michael cringed at the hard, bitter note in her voice. He knew he had hurt her, but didn't know how to fix things. He didn't think she would forgive him now. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to try to make it up to her. "Can I come in?"

She nodded and stepped out of the doorway. Her father walked inside and looked around. 

"Nice place," he told her.

"Thanks," Renee replied picking Peter up out of his playpen. She handed him to Michael who didn't seem comfortable with holding him. Peter sensed this and let out a scream. He continued crying until Renee took him back. As soon as he was back in her arms, he calmed down. 

Renee sat down on the couch. Michael sank down beside her. "Renee," he started then seemed to lose his words. 

She realized he was trying to apologize. The wall of ice around her heart melted, and she said, "It's okay, Dad. Don't worry about it."

He put his large hand over her smaller one and smiled at her. Then, he told her, "I should be getting home now."

He started to stand up, but Renee stopped him. "I'm going to meet Gabe in town for lunch. Why don't you come too? He'd like to see you again."

He considered this for a moment then shook his head. "No, I need to be leaving."

She sighed. "Of course you do. I'll talk to you sometime then."

He left, and she started getting Peter ready to go out.

*******

While they were waiting for their meal to arrive, Gabriel asked, "How did your visit with your dad go? Did you talk?" He knew that she didn't like to talk about what was bothering her.

"If you want to say that." She told him what they had said. "I just wish he'd realize."

"Realize what?"

"That it doesn't matter what he does. It doesn't matter how much I hate him. I'm still always going to love him. I have a hate-love relationship with him. I hate to love him, but I still do. And it breaks my heart every time."

"I'm sure he knows. He just doesn't know how to tell you."

Their food arrived, and they ate in a comfortable silence. Once they were finished, Gabriel paid for lunch and they left. Renee put Peter in his car seat then slid into the front seat. She thought someone was watching them, but shrugged the feeling off as Gabriel pulled out into the street. 

*******

Gabriel was just starting to slide into bed next to Renee when he thought he heard a noise coming from Peter's room. He got up and walked down the hall. Renee was right behind him. When he stepped into the room, he saw a very large man leaning over his son's crib. "Hey!" He cried. "Get away from my son."

Gabriel started toward him as the man turned around. The man threw a fist into his stomach doubling him over in pain. Then he brought the butt of the gun crashing down on the back of Gabriel's head. He fell to the floor and laid still. Renee ran over to the man, grabbed his arm, and tried to pull him away from the crib. He was a lot stronger than her, however. He swung his arm and sent her flying to the floor. She hit her head on the floor and was stunned. 

When she came to her senses, he was climbing out the window with a screaming baby over his shoulder. Renee ran over to the window, but the man had already reached the ground. She sank to her knees as the waterfall of tears started to flow.

Gabriel struggled to his knees and blinked several times until the room remained still. He saw Renee crying by the window and crawled over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her until her crying had subsided. Then, he helped her to her feet, and they walked into the kitchen. He picked up the phone and called Sara.


	12. Slán agat

Chapter 12

  
  


"I can't believe he would stoop this low."

"It's my fault," Gabriel said. "I should have let you stayed."

"Don't this to yourself, Gabe," Sara told him firmly. "You couldn't have known."

"But I should have. I'm supposed to protect him, and I couldn't."

Renee hadn't said a word since it had happened. Now she spoke up. "Gabriel, you couldn't have stopped him. You tried. I tried. We couldn't." She broke down into tears again.

Gabriel grabbed his coat and headed for the door. Donovan, who had been leaning against the wall listening, stepped in front of him. "Where are you going?" He demanded.

"To save my son," he replied in a determined voice. Gabriel tried to walk around him, but he continued to block his way. "Get out of my way!" He tried to remain calm, but wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"No you're not. You're not thinking. You'll go running in and not be thinking, and you'll be killed. Your son will still be gone, and your wife will be left alone. Is that what you want?"

The determined look remained on the younger man's face. Donovan's expression remained unchanged as well. The men fought a silent battle of wills for several minutes. Then, Renee walked up behind Gabriel and said, "Please, Gabe. I don't want you to be killed."

He let out a long sigh and turned around engulfing her in his arms. She began to shake, but tried to hold the tears back. Sara saw the misery Irons was causing her friends. She practically ran out the door. Donovan stared after her then followed muttering, "Doesn't anyone around here know how to think first?"

Gabriel put his arm around Renee's shoulder and led her down the hall to the bedroom. He got her into bed, and she was instantly asleep, exhausted from crying and worrying about her son. Pulling the blankets up over her shoulders, he bent down and kissed her forehead then straightened up. Before leaving, he whispered, "I'm sorry." Gabriel picked up his coat and walked out the door. 

*******

Ian watched from the shadows as Sara and Donovan walked into the mansion. She had told him to stay at the apartment, but he had come anyway. He knew that this would be the final showdown with Irons. He slipped through the doors behind them. 

They hadn't gone very far when Sara stopped and looked to the side. Donovan's gaze turned with hers, but he couldn't see anything. She saw Danny standing there with his hair pulled back. He was also dressed in traditional Chinese regalia. He gave her a brief nod, then he was gone again. 

She continued walking until they came to large, double doors. They were ornately designed like everything else in the mansion. The doors slowly swung open. Donovan started to pull his gun, but Sara touched his arm stopping him. No one was standing in the open doorway. She walked cautiously forward, then stopped. The large room was empty. The red stone on her bracelet was swirling angrily, and it made her think to glance up at the balcony. 

*******

Kenneth Irons had been looking at the baby when he heard the front doors open. He stood there until he heard footsteps coming down the corridor. He stepped out onto the balcony as Sara and Donovan walked through the large doors. He saw her glance up, and he stepped to where she could see him. "It's nice to see you again, Sara. What is it that you want?" He asked with a knowing smile. 

"You know why I'm here," she snapped back at him. 

"Of course I do. But I must admit you weren't the one I was expecting."

"Who were you . . ." she started to ask, then heard footsteps behind her. As she started to turn around, Sara heard Irons say, "Ah. There he is. How are you, young Gabriel?"

He was startled for a moment, then his temper overtook him. "You bastard," he hissed through his teeth. "You had me taken from my family, then do the same to my son. And you have the nerve to ask how I am. You're a miserable, self-absorbed, manipulative bastard."

"I helped you to your destiny."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He started walking down the stairs that led from the balcony to the floor where they were standing. As he descended, he spoke. "You come from an old line. A young man from that line has always been chosen to serve the blade by providing its wielder with information. I put you someplace where you could do this."

"You think you can decide someone's destiny?" Gabriel's face was red with anger and disbelief.

Irons didn't look at him, instead directing his attention behind them. "This is becoming quite a reunion," he said as Ian stepped out of the shadows. "Glad you came back, Ian."

"I did not come back for you, sir," he replied with a hint of disgust. "I came back to make sure you didn't mess with anyone else's life."

"I'm trying to enhance his life as I did yours."

"You did not enhance it. You ruined it." His voice was low and calm, but it held a menacing tone. 

He had never spoken to him like that, and it took the old man by surprise. Before he could recover, Gabriel spoke up. "Just give my son back. That's all I want."

Irons turned his attention back to the young man. "Boy, you don't understand. You need to look at the big picture."

"I don't care about the big picture!" He was losing control of his temper again. "I just want my son back."

Irons turned back to the steps and started to walk up to the balcony. When he reached it, his head lowered in a nod, but it wasn't directed at any of them. A man walked out with Peter in his arms. Gabriel started forward, but Ian stopped him as another man stepped out of the shadows. Ian took several steps until he had reached him. He was startled to see a mirror image of himself. Before he could recover, the other one backhanded him. He returned a blow, and they continued to fight for several long minutes. Each move one would make was blocked by the other. Finally, Ian landed a blow, and the clone fell to the floor stunned. 

He walked slowly to the stairs like a cat stalking its prey. When he stepped onto the first step, lights started flashing. Ian's body went rigid, then he fell to the floor convulsing with seizures. Sara and Gabriel just looked at him not sure what was happening. As soon as the lights stopped, his body twitched a few times then was still. 

*******

Renee slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She wasn't sure how long she had been sleeping. The last thing she remembered was Gabriel pulling the blankets up around her. Swinging her feet to the floor, she stood up and walked out of the room. When she didn't see Gabriel in the living room, Renee hurried into the kitchen with a panic rising in her chest. He wasn't in there either. She tried to swallow her fear, but it wouldn't stay down. She walked slowly back into the living room and stood there unsure of what to do. She knew where he had gone, but didn't want to believe it.

She noticed that his coat and the car keys were gone. Sinking to her knees on the floor, Renee broke down into tears. "First my son. Then my husband," She said through the sobbing. She tried to wipe the tears away, but they continued to come. Finally, she stood up, stumbled to the bathroom, and splashed water on her face. Then she walked back into the living room. Stepping into the hallway, she closed the door behind her.

*******

Gabriel started forward, but the other Ian grabbed his arms, restraining him. He was struggling to get away, but it was useless. He stood still and didn't fight the tears he didn't want to come. He had failed. He had failed both his son and Renee. He had come to save his son, but wasn't able to. He couldn't protect them, and the thought of anything happening to either of them was killing him.

The clone let go of his arms and spun him around in one fluid motion. "I could kill you, boy," he said in a sinister tone as he sent a fist into Gabriel's stomach. Then, his foot connected with the same spot. 

The young man's face went white with fear and pain. He took a step back to give himself a chance to fight back. He didn't get that chance though. His assailant's foot connected solidly with his chin. Gabriel fell onto his back, and the wind was knocked from him. When he had recovered it, he struggled to his feet and was instantly knocked down again. This went on for a minute until Gabriel only had enough strength to get to his knees. The clone pivoted on one foot and landed a kick against the side of his head. He fell and didn't move.

He lifted Gabriel by his shirt, but the boy's body hung limp. Sara saw what the clone had done to her friend, and the witchblade went onto full gauntlet form as she stepped forward. He grabbed a sword from the floor, and they battled back and forth for several minutes. The clone would advance on her. Then, she would push him back.

Suddenly, Sara heard a choked cry behind her and involuntarily turned her head. Renee was standing in the doorway staring at Gabriel's still form. She started to run forward, but Donovan grabbed her to stop her. She tried to pull away, and when she couldn't, she started beating her fists against his chest in anger and frustration. He pulled her close to him and held her in a comforting fatherly way. 

Using Sara's distraction to his advantage, the clone swung the sword at her head. Warned by the witchblade, she spun around and thrust the blade forward. He jumped out of the way causing her to lose her balance. The blade suddenly retracted, and she stared at it astonished. He came at her again, but she quickly rolled over one shoulder out of the way. 

She came up behind a chair and used it as a shield against his next attempted blow. She glared down at the bracelet and hissed, "Damn this thing! Why isn't it working?"

She glanced around and noticed a piece of an iron bar laying on the floor. She blocked his thrust and brought the bar around hitting him on the shoulder. He stumbled, then came after her again. The blade decided to come back to life at this time. She stopped his attack and countered with her own. They continued to fight back and forth for several minutes. Finally, Sara caught his arm with the edge of the blade and drew blood. 

His sword nicked her upper arm with his next attack, and she gasped in pain and surprise. She ignored the pain and thrust her sword forward. It slid through his flesh. She withdrew it, and he fell to the floor. His hands were clasped over the wound and there was a look of pure horror on his face realizing his life was seeping out of the hole in his stomach. This only lasted for a few minutes. Then, he was dead. 

Peter, who had been crying since the clone had first attacked Gabriel, suddenly quieted only sniffling every now and then. Donovan let Renee go, and she ran up the stairs taking them two at a time. She grabbed her son from the man and hugged him to her chest. She held him like that until she could feel the tap of his small fists against her chest. She loosened her hold and kissed his forehead. 

Sara had been right behind her on the stairs. Now she stood facing Irons. "You're going to pay for all you've done," she hissed through clenched teeth. She lifted the blade and placed the point against his throat. She was so full of rage that she didn't see the dagger he was holding by his side. He brought it up to stab her, and she barely saw it in time.

The dagger glanced off of the gauntlet, then Sara knocked it from his hand. He backed up and knocked over a chair. Losing his balance, Irons tumbled to the floor. She put the point of the blade against his chest just as he started to push himself up. "You're under arrest for . . ." she started to say. Then, the blade pierced his heart. His body fell limp. 

Sara just stared down into his lifeless eyes. Then, she sighed in relief to know that it was finally over, and the blade retracted. She turned her head when she heard Peter start to make cooing noises. She grinned at him then started back toward the stairs. Renee followed and went straight to Gabriel's side. He was breathing, and she took his hand in hers. His eyes slowly opened. She put her finger over his lips to silence him when he tried to speak. "Hush," she said. "Everything's fine. Everything's going to be all right."

Sara was kneeling beside Ian feeling for a pulse. It was there beating steady and strong. She sighed in relief again. His eyes opened, and he struggled to a sitting position. She put her hand on his shoulder for a second. Irons had done that many times, but her touch held something different. Grabbing his hand, she helped him to his feet. "Can you walk?" She asked him. 

He nodded and started shakily toward the door. Sara and Donovan put their arms under Gabriel's shoulders and helped him to stand. They walked slowly and carefully to the door. Still, every step sent sharp pains through his battered body. Renee followed close behind with Peter in her arms.

*******

After the doctor had looked at Ian, he told them that it was okay for him to go home as long as he took it easy. He, however, didn't think that Gabriel should be moved again yet. "He really took a beating," the doctor told them. "He has some broken ribs and a hairline crack in his jaw. And there's that nasty gash on his head. What happened?"

Renee and Sara exchanged a glance, then the younger girl looked back at the doctor. Forcing a grin, she replied, "You know Gabriel, Doctor. He still hasn't learned how to stay out of trouble."

The doctor chuckled at this. "Yes, that does seem to be true. Well, he should be all right to go home in a day or two."

"Thanks, Doctor."

When he had left, Sara turned to her and said, "I should probably take Ian home so he can get some rest. Will you be all right?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine."

Sara nodded and left the room. Renee looked down at the sleeping baby she held in her arms. "Yes, we'll be fine, Mic," she said.

*******

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, to Mic. Happy birthday to you," the four people sang happily to the newly turned one year old. He giggled at their out of tune voices and clapped his little hands together. "Hawp Bifday," he said and giggled again. 

Renee came back in from the kitchen carrying a cake with a single candle in the middle of it. It was burning as she set it down on the table. The four adults leaned over and blew out the flame. Peter clapped his hands and giggled again. 

Gabriel stood up and put his arm around Renee's shoulder as Sara started cutting the cake. He squeezed his wife's shoulder, then leaned closer to her. Her lips parted and met his in a tender kiss.

  
  
  
  


The End


End file.
